Pinyin candidates or full-sentence Convert? Two different ways to write

Suppose you want to send this message:

I’ll be home around 七点, can you save me some dinner?

A traditional Pinyin IME and UnimeType Convert can both produce 七点. The difference is when you make the conversion and what you are composing around it.

With a candidate IME, Chinese appears as you type

You type the sound, review candidates, and confirm the Chinese words while the sentence grows. For the example above, the path looks like this:

1. Type the English beginning.
2. Switch to Chinese input.
3. Enter and confirm 七点.
4. Switch back to English.
5. Finish the message.

This approach fits Chinese-first paragraphs, offline work, and writers who want direct candidate-by-candidate control.

With Convert, the Latin draft stays until you act

You can keep the Latin layout active and write:

I’ll be home around qi dian, can you save me some dinner?

After the relevant text is ready, choose Convert and read the complete result before sending. The same method works when only one phrase in a longer English sentence needs another writing system:

Draft Can we meet ming tian after lunch?

After conversion Can we meet 明天 after lunch?

The workflows make different tradeoffs

There is no universal winner. Keep classic Pinyin for long Chinese writing, offline work, or continuous candidate control. Convert fits short mixed messages when English carries the sentence and input-source switching is the interruption you want to avoid.

If your message is English-first and the Chinese phrase begins as Latin letters, the Latin-to-Chinese keyboard guide shows the complete workflow.

Mac Chinese and English input switching covers the system shortcuts around this choice. For more English-first examples, see Everyday bilingual messages. The product’s text scope is documented under Actions.