# Zhiyin: Learn Chinese by Music — Turn Songs Into Lessons

> Learn Chinese through music with synced lyrics, dictionary lookup, and flashcards. (iPhone/iPad app by Fiachra MacFadden.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zhiyin-learn-chinese-by-music/id6749566908 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Fiachra MacFadden](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831200997)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 191 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2026-01-13
- Data updated: 2026-07-03
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zhiyin-learn-chinese-by-music/id6749566908/reviews.md

## What is Zhiyin?

Zhiyin turns Chinese songs into interactive lessons. Follow along with time-synced lyrics showing Chinese characters, pinyin, and English translations.

HOW IT WORKS
  • Connect your Apple Music account
  • Play any Chinese song
  • Follow synced lyrics with pinyin and translations
  • Tap any word for instant dictionary lookup
  • Save words to flashcard decks
  • Review and memorize with swipe-based flashcards

FEATURES

Synced Lyrics
Time-synced Chinese lyrics with pinyin romanization and English translations for every line.

Tap-to-Define Dictionary
Tap any character in the lyrics to see its meaning, pinyin, and tone—without leaving the song.

Grammar Breakdowns
Key vocabulary, idioms, and sentence patterns extracted from every track.

Song & Artist Context
Learn the story behind the music—cultural references, artist background and song meaning.

Flashcard Review
Save any word with one tap and review later with swipe-based flashcards.

Works With Your Library
Connect your Apple Music account and learn from the songs you love.

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Terms of Service: https://tryzhiyin.com/terms
Privacy Policy: https://tryzhiyin.com/privacy
Questions? fiki@zhiyin.dev

## Key features

- Time-synced lyrics with pinyin and translation
- Tap-to-define dictionary
- Grammar breakdowns
- Song and artist context
- Flashcard review system
- Integrates with Apple Music

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zhiyin Premium (Annual) | $69.99 | per year |
| Zhiyin Premium (Monthly) | $6.99 | per month |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zhiyin-learn-chinese-by-music/id6749566908/reviews.md

### 5/5 — absolutely astounding app to learn chinese.

*2026-02-06*

I’ve been begging someone to make an app like this for years, and it works so well, the free tier is good as well! it’s so much easier to remember an entire song than memorizing sentence structures in textbooks or learning nonsensical sentence structures on duolingo. please try out this app it’s absolutely worth it.

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for your kind review! It is always heartening to see others also enjoying the app I put so much love and care into 🥰.

Should you have any feedback or feature suggestions in the future, please feel free to get in touch with me anytime. I’m shipping new updates almost every week to keep improving the app further.

## Frequently asked questions about Zhiyin

### How does Zhiyin teach Chinese?

Zhiyin uses Chinese songs as a learning tool. It provides time-synced lyrics with pinyin and English translations, a dictionary for instant word definitions, and grammar breakdowns from the songs.

### Can I use my own music with Zhiyin?

Yes, Zhiyin connects to your Apple Music account, allowing you to learn from any Chinese song in your library.

### What learning tools does Zhiyin offer?

Zhiyin offers time-synced lyrics, a tap-to-define dictionary for quick lookups, grammar explanations, and a flashcard system to save and review vocabulary.

### Does Zhiyin have ads?

No, Zhiyin does not contain advertisements, providing an uninterrupted learning experience.

### What are the subscription options for Zhiyin?

Zhiyin offers two subscription plans: Zhiyin Premium Monthly for $6.99 and Zhiyin Premium Annual for $69.99.

### What is the age rating for Zhiyin?

Zhiyin is rated 4+ and is suitable for learners of all ages.

### How often is Zhiyin updated?

The latest version of Zhiyin is 1.5.1, and it was last updated on May 8, 2026, indicating regular development and improvements.

### What devices does Zhiyin support?

Zhiyin is currently supported on iPhone devices.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.5.1 — 2026-05-08

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 1.5 — 2026-03-03

What's New: 
- Ruby pinyin: pinyin now appears directly above each Chinese character instead of on a separate line, making it easier to read lyrics while learning pronunciation 
- English words in mixed Chinese/English lyrics now display as cohesive units in the ruby text area 
- Improved pinyin accuracy for characters with multiple pronunciations using word-context detection 
- Smart word selection: tapping a character in lyrics now highlights the full word and shows its compound definition 

Bug fixes: 
- Fixed duplicate albums and artists appearing on the home screen 
- Floating lyrics window now respects Traditional/Simplified character preference 
- Fixed incorrect pinyin for 若 and colon appearing in ü pinyin 
- Performance improvements to lyrics scrolling and tap responsiveness
- Other general performance enhancements

### 1.4 — 2026-02-16

- Added drag handles to highlighted lyrics. Tap any character to highlight it, then drag the handles to expand your selection across multiple characters and get compound word definitions instantly 
- Your Account ID is now visible in Settings > Manage Account for easier support 
- Various other bug fixes

### 1.3 — 2026-02-15

- Skip between lyric lines with the new forward/back buttons — jump straight to the previous or next line instead of rewinding 10 seconds, perfect for replaying lines you want to learn
- Your home screen now personalizes over time based on what you listen to — albums and artists gradually reflect your taste
- Hot Tracks: see what's trending across all Zhiyin users, dynamically updates every few hours
- Imported playlists now auto-skip unavailable tracks instead of stopping playback

Bug fixes:
- Fixed an issue where the "Continue with Apple Music" button on the setup screen could become unresponsive after declining the Apple Music permission prompt
- General stability improvements

### 1.2 — 2026-01-27

• New: Shazam integration — Hear a Chinese song at karaoke, in a cab, or at a bar? Tap the Shazam button to identify it instantly, then dive into the lyrics with zhiyin's signature pinyin breakdowns, translations and grammar guides
• Faster artist & album pages: Content now loads instantly on return visits
• Improved error handling: Clear messaging when Apple Music playback is unavailable
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

## Related topics

[500 chinese old songs](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/500-chinese-old-songs)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-03.*