Ivy Dictionary is an offline English–Chinese dictionary: no internet, no sign-up, and your word books stay on your own device. The app itself is in Chinese; this page covers the essentials in English. The full help centre is in Chinese.
The app has five pages: 查词 (Look up), 阅读 (Read), 单词本 (Word books), 复习 (Review) and 设置 (Settings). On a phone they are along the bottom, on a computer down the left.
Common questions
Does it need the internet?
No. The dictionary and the audio are installed on your device. The Android app does not request network access, and there is no account.
Why does the first launch take a few seconds?
On Android the dictionary is prepared the first time the app opens (and after an update). It usually takes two or three seconds.
What do "草稿，待审核" and "译文待审" mean?
Ivy is revising inaccurate Chinese definitions from the original dictionary and translating English examples. Content not yet reviewed is marked like this.
Is the CEFR level on an entry official?
No. It is estimated from word frequency, and the label says "估算" (estimated).
Where is my data? Is it uploaded?
Only on your device; nothing is uploaded. See the privacy policy.
Looking up words from other apps
- Android: select a word in any app and tap 查词 in the menu (you may need "⋮" or "More" to see it); a card slides up without leaving the app. Select more than eight words, or share selected text to Ivy 查词, and the passage opens in the reader instead. There is also an "Ivy 查词" Quick Settings tile and a "word of the day" home-screen widget.
- Computer (Fedora, KDE Plasma): set a lookup shortcut in Settings → 取词. Select English anywhere and press it; a card appears at the top of the screen. Esc or clicking elsewhere closes it. Press Enter to add the word to your word book. You can also turn on 划词自动弹出 (pop up on selection) to show the card whenever you select one to three English words.
Word books and review
- Tap 加入单词本 (Add to word book) on an entry. Words saved while reading keep their sentence and article.
- Review shows a word; think of its meaning, tap to reveal, then rate it 忘了 / 模糊 / 认识 / 很熟 (forgot / hazy / knew it / easy). Reviews are scheduled by FSRS.
- Import words from TXT, CSV or a Kindle vocab.db (Settings → 数据 → 导入单词); export to CSV or Anki.
The reader
Paste a text, open a TXT or Markdown file, share text from another app, or drag a file or a passage onto the window on a computer. Tap any word to look it up. Words above the level you choose (A2–C1) are underlined with dots, and 本文生词 (new words in this text) lists them so you can add them all at once.
Sync and backup
- Sync between your own devices with an encrypted sync file, through a folder you choose or by exporting and importing by hand. The sync key stays on your devices; nothing passes through our servers.
- Backup: Settings → 数据 → 导出完整备份 saves everything to one file; 从备份恢复 restores it.
Contact
Questions or suggestions: support@vnet.nz