# Install libchewing with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, apt, zypper
Intelligent phonetic input method library. Version 0.12.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install chewing-tools.
## Install
```sh
sudo av install brew:libchewing
```
Additional install commands:
### macOS
- Homebrew (100%):
```sh
brew install libchewing
```
Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata
- MacPorts (94%):
```sh
sudo port install libchewing
```
Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/libchewing/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
### Linux
- apk (92%):
```sh
sudo apk add libchewing
```
Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libchewing from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
- dnf (92%):
```sh
sudo dnf install libchewing
```
Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libchewing from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst
- Nix (92%):
```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#libchewing
```
Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libchewing/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- pacman (92%):
```sh
sudo pacman -S libchewing
```
Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: libchewing from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
- Debian apt (92%):
```sh
sudo apt install chewing-tools
```
Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: chewing-tools from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
- Ubuntu apt (92%):
```sh
sudo apt install libchewing3
```
Evidence: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libchewing3 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
- zypper (92%):
```sh
sudo zypper install chewing-cli
```
Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: chewing-cli from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst
## Package facts
- **Package key:** brew:libchewing
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.12.0
- **Source summary:** Intelligent phonetic input method library
- **Homepage:**
- **Repository:**
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00
## Executables
- chewing-cli (alias)
## Install behavior
- Bottle: not available
## Freshness
- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.12.0
## Project history and usage
libchewing is the reusable engine behind Chewing, a Traditional Chinese intelligent phonetic input method for Zhuyin/Bopomofo users. In package-manager terms it is the library layer that lets desktop input frameworks share the same phrase-selection and conversion logic instead of each framework embedding its own engine.
### Project history
The project traces its lineage to the original Chewing input method, an XCIN module for X Window System input. The libchewing README identifies Lu-chuan Kung and Kang-pen Chen as the original developers, with sponsorship from Tsan-sheng Hsu at Academia Sinica between 1999 and 2001.
After the original Chewing work stopped, Jim Huang and others formed the Chewing core team in 2002. The team separated the engine from XCIN coupling and continued the project as New Chewing, while the English project name remained Chewing across input-method frameworks.
### Adoption history
Chewing became a common open-source Zhuyin engine because input framework packages could bind to libchewing rather than reimplementing conversion behavior. The project README lists active integrations for Windows TSF, PIME, IBus, HIME, Fcitx, Fcitx5 macOS, and related front ends, plus older integrations such as SCIM, uim, OpenVanilla, and xcin.
### How it is used
Users normally encounter libchewing indirectly through an input-method front end, while developers and packagers see it as a C/Rust-buildable library plus tools. The package exposes `chewing-cli` in Homebrew and is packaged across Linux distributions, BSD-derived ports, Nix, MacPorts, and Homebrew.
### Why package nerds care
libchewing is a good example of why Unix package ecosystems split engines from front ends: the same linguistic data and candidate-selection logic can serve IBus, Fcitx, Windows, and other shells. For package maintainers, the interesting part is not a command-line tool but the stable shared input-method substrate.
### Timeline
- 1999-2001: Original Chewing XCIN module developed with Academia Sinica sponsorship.
- 2002: Jim Huang and others formed the Chewing core team and extended the original work.
- 2026-04-06: GitHub listed libchewing v0.12.0 among the project's releases.
### Related projects
- Related projects include XCIN, IBus-Chewing, Fcitx Chewing integrations, Windows TSF Chewing, PIME, HIME, and the older bimsphone input method mentioned in the libchewing history.
### Sources
-
-
-
## Security Notes
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
## Other Package-Manager Records
- Debian apt - chewing-tools - 0.9.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: chewing-tools from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | intelligent phonetic input method library (tools) | https://chewing.im
- Debian apt - libchewing3 - 0.9.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libchewing3 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | intelligent phonetic input method library | https://chewing.im
- Debian apt - libchewing3-data - 0.9.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libchewing3-data from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | intelligent phonetic input method library - data files | https://chewing.im
- Debian apt - libchewing3-dev - 0.9.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libchewing3-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | intelligent phonetic input method library (developer version) | https://chewing.im
- Nix - libchewing: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libchewing/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - libchewing3 - 0.6.0-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libchewing3 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | intelligent phonetic input method library | https://chewing.im
- Ubuntu apt - libchewing3-data - 0.6.0-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libchewing3-data from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | intelligent phonetic input method library - data files | https://chewing.im
- Ubuntu apt - libchewing3-dev - 0.6.0-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libchewing3-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | intelligent phonetic input method library (developer version) | https://chewing.im
- apk - libchewing - 0.13.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libchewing from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Intelligent Chinese phonetic input method | https://chewing.im/
- apk - libchewing-dev - 0.13.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libchewing-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Intelligent Chinese phonetic input method (development files) | https://chewing.im/
- apk - libchewing-tools - 0.13.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libchewing-tools from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Intelligent Chinese phonetic input method (command line tools) | https://chewing.im/
- apk - libchewing-tools-doc - 0.13.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libchewing-tools-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Intelligent Chinese phonetic input method (man pages for tools) | https://chewing.im/
- dnf - libchewing - 0.13.1-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libchewing from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Intelligent phonetic input method library for Traditional Chinese | https://chewing.im
- dnf - libchewing-devel - 0.13.1-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libchewing-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Development files for libchewing | https://chewing.im
- dnf - python3-libchewing - 0.13.1-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: python3-libchewing from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Python binding for libchewing | https://chewing.im
- pacman - libchewing - 0.13.1-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: libchewing from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Intelligent Chinese phonetic input method | https://chewing.im/
## Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libchewing.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/libchewing.yml)
## Sources
- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph