东西 (dōngxi) — thing / stuff
HSK 1 | noun | things, stuff (idiomatic); east-west (literal)
东西 (dōngxi)
A noun meaning things or stuff. In its idiomatic sense (neutral tone on 西: dōngxi), it refers to objects, items, or stuff in general. In its literal sense (both syllables fully toned: dōng xī), it means "east and west," the two compass directions. The idiomatic meaning is by far the more common at HSK 1.
Meanings
- [noun] Things, stuff, objects, items (idiomatic, very common).
- [noun] East and west, the east-west direction (literal).
Example Sentences
桌子上有很多东西。 Zhuōzi shàng yǒu hěn duō dōngxi. There are many things on the table.
你买了什么东西？ Nǐ mǎile shénme dōngxi? What did you buy?
不要把东西放在地上。 Bùyào bǎ dōngxi fàng zài dì shàng. Do not put things on the ground.
这个城市的东西两边都有山。 Zhège chéngshì de dōng xī liǎng biān dōu yǒu shān. There are mountains on both the east and west sides of this city.
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 买东西 (mǎi dōngxi) | buy things, go shopping |
| 吃东西 (chī dōngxi) | eat something |
| 放东西 (fàng dōngxi) | put things (somewhere) |
| 好东西 (hǎo dōngxi) | good stuff |
| 什么东西 (shénme dōngxi) | what things, what stuff |
Memory Hook
The story goes that ancient Chinese markets had east stalls and west stalls. To "go get east-west" meant to go shopping for goods. Over time, 东西 came to mean "things" in general. Markets gave us the word.