Abstract: A method of encoding, uniquely, different characters in the Chinese language. The method includes the steps of (1) associating with a selected character a phonetic tag formed with no less than one and no more than three of the recognized Chinese phonetic symbols, (2) associating with the same character a tone tag in the form of a single one of the five different recognized Chinese tone symbols, (3) further associating with the character a two-digit number tag each digit of which is associated, respectively, with two different ones of the four recognized corner configurations in the character, and (4) assembling these tags in a preselected sequence to generate a combined electronic data stream usable in a data-handling device such as a digital computer.