병음, or "Pinyin," is a system used to transcribe the sounds of the Chinese language into the Latin alphabet. It helps learners pronounce Mandarin words correctly by providing a phonetic representation. Each Pinyin syllable corresponds to a specific sound, making it easier for non-native speakers to read and speak Chinese. Developed in the 1950s, 병음 has become the standard romanization system for Mandarin and is widely used in education, dictionaries, and language learning resources. It includes tone markings to indicate the four tones of Mandarin, which are essential for distinguishing meanings between words that may sound similar.