pinyin
Standard Chinese spelling system using Roman alphabet. Literally translates as "spell sound". In modern Chinese education, children are taught to read and write pinyin before learning hanzi (Chinese characters).
If it weren't for pinyin, there would be no way I could ever learn how to speak Chinese by reading it.
Pinyin
the standard system of romanized spelling for transliterating Chinese.
Chinese uses two writing systems: a syllabary system in which one character represents one syllable, and Pinyin, the transliteration of chinese characters and words into Latin.