This invention discloses a Chinese input method using Pinyin plus a new tone notation on a Western keyboard or keypad to input Chinese characters, characterized in that the user can input a Chinese compound word (polysyllabic word) containing several syllables and tones by just keying in a series of letters representing the syllables and tones of the word, and the letters are all joined together without causing any confusion. This feature is attributed to the new tone input method of this invention, which is characterized in that the three letters j, q and x are used to input three of the four tones of Putonghua (Mandarin), and “no entry” is used to input the remaining tone. There is a detailed logical reasoning in the specification of this patent application explaining how this method can achieve the feature of “syllables with tones are joined together without causing confusion”. Input of these syllables with tones via just a Western keyboard, together with the important feature of “the syllables with tones are joined together without causing confusion”, will have a major impact on the technical field of Chinese input method.