东
西

About

The Chinese word "东西" is formed by combining the characters for "east" (东) and "west" (西), historically deriving from ancient markets where goods from both directions were traded, which over time metonymically evolved to refer to "things" in general.

Example Sentences Hide

这是我的东西。

Zhè shì wǒ de dōngxi.

This is my thing.

我在找我的东西。

Wǒ zài zhǎo wǒ de dōngxi.

I am looking for my stuff.

这个东西很有用。

Zhège dōngxi hěn yǒuyòng.

This thing is very useful.

桌子上的东西是谁的？

Zhuōzi shàng de dōngxi shì shéi de?

Whose are the things on the table?

他从包里拿出很多东西。

Tā cóng bāo lǐ ná chū hěn duō dōngxi.

He took out many things from his bag.

Word Definition - 东西

dōng xi east and west; thing; stuff; person; CL:個|个[gè],件[jiàn]

Individual Character Details

东 dōng, dōng
西 xī, xī