What is it?
PlecoDict is an all-in-one Chinese dictionary and study aid for handheld computers and smartphones, featuring five world-class dictionaries, integrated Chinese handwriting recognition and a highly customizable flashcard system.
What can I do with it?
You can:
- Get the Pinyin/definition for a word by writing its characters on the screen
- Keep a list of words you look up for later review
- Find a character using a radical index (as in a printed Chinese dictionary)
- Review vocabulary with an onscreen flashcard system, focusing on the words you need the most help with
- Create your own flashcard lists from dictionary entries, or import ready-made vocabulary lists for several popular textbooks and the HSK
- Look up words using Pinyin, or a mix of Pinyin and characters
- Look up words in other programs (like document readers) by highlighting them and launching PlecoDict
- Cross-reference words between dictionary entries – highlight a word and tap on a button to jump to its definition
- Create your own custom dictionary entries (and make flashcards out of them)
- Look up the Chinese translations of English words
- Enter words in both simplified and traditional characters, and switch between traditional/simplified display with a single button tap
- Use it on an English-language device without needing to install any other software
What do I need to use it?
A handheld computer or smartphone running Palm OS 4.0 or later or Windows Mobile / Pocket PC 2003 or later. If you’re buying a new system, we’ve prepared a page with recommendations about which model to buy (and whether to go with Palm or Pocket PC) here. You can write characters anywhere on the screen, so the handwriting recognizer is fully usable even on compatible keyboard-equipped handhelds like the Treo.
You’ll probably also need an add-on memory card in order to have enough free space on your handheld to store PlecoDict’s (rather large) data files. A 128 MB SD (Secure Digital) card should be more than enough, and those can be had for under US$20 in most electronic stores.
Feel free to contact us at support@pleco.com if you have any questions about hardware compatibility.
How do I get it?
Our products are available exclusively at our online store. We deliver our software as a download (and not as a physical CD), so you can retrieve and install your software immediately after you place your order. If you ever lose your software due to a hard drive crash or other computer mishap, you can re-download it through our My Orders system. See the Ordering page for more information on how to order PlecoDict.
What dictionaries are available?
The Oxford Concise English & Chinese Dictionary, published by Oxford University Press, is one of the most popular Chinese-English translation dictionaries in the world. It was originally published in 1986; PlecoDict's data files are based on the new 3rd Edition, published in 2003 and incorporating recent vocabulary words like 'Internet' and 'SARS'. It includes both a Chinese-to-English and an English-to-Chinese component, containing approximately 25,000 and 13,000 entries respectively.
The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary, also published in 2003, edited by the legendary John DeFrancis with the collaboration of Wenlin Institute and others, is the most comprehensive single-volume Chinese-to-English dictionary available, containing over 196,000 entries with comprehensive coverage of all contemporary Chinese vocabulary. It's also used in Wenlin Institute's Wenlin 3.2 software, which makes an excellent desktop companion to PlecoDict.
The New World Press English-Chinese Pinyin Dictionary (NWP), published in 2001, is one of the few English-to-Chinese dictionaries in Mainland China developed specifically for foreign learners of Chinese; it contains approximately 23,000 entries.
The Cheng & Tsui English-Chinese Lexicon of Business Terms, an English-to-Chinese dictionary published in 2002 and compiled by Professor Andrew Chang of Thunderbird business school, is one of the few Chinese business dictionaries to include Pinyin, and (as far as we know) the only one to be developed in the US. It contains 3845 entries covering over 9000 common business terms like "expansionary monetary policy" and "FOB contract."
What does it cost?
We currently offer PlecoDict in three different bundle packages. The software in all three is identical; the only difference is the dictionary databases they include.
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PlecoDict
Basic |
PlecoDict
Professional |
PlecoDict
Complete |
| Oxford
Concise Chinese-English Dictionary |
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| Oxford
Concise English-Chinese Dictionary |
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| ABC
Chinese-English Dictionary |
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| NWP
English-Chinese Dictionary |
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| Price |
$59.95 |
$99.95 |
$119.95 |
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(for Palm OS) |
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| Order
(for Pocket PC) |
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The Cheng & Tsui dictionary is not currently available as part of a dictionary bundle, but can be purchased as an add-on through My Orders at a price of $29.95. See the Ordering page for more details on purchasing add-ons.
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