When I change language to chinese I automatically get a pinyin input available. How can I access this pinyin input tool without switching everything to chinese? I don't feel like installing additional software, the one that seems to exist is good enough, but I cant access it without chaning everything to chinese! Thanks in advance!
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toIBus
You probably solved this years ago, but...
sudo apt-get install fcitx fcitx-[whatever input method you want] fonts-hanazono
That should get you Chinese input without installing any language support.
If you're referring to toggling between Chinese and another language, usually you can hit shift or some other key to switch back and forth. (check your input's settings) In fcitx, you can also do this by clicking on the tux on the input bar.