东西

• 拼音: dōng xi
• 汉字拆解: 东 (east) + 西 (west) — literally 'east-west,' idiomatically 'thing, stuff'

含义

Thing; stuff; object. A general word for any physical item or abstract matter.

One of the most versatile nouns in Chinese. Can refer to any physical object (买东西, buy things/go shopping), food (吃东西, eat something), or abstract matters. In colloquial speech, can also refer to a person, sometimes affectionately and sometimes disparagingly.

例句

1. 你买了什么东西？
2. 我想吃点东西。
3. 这个东西多少钱？

用法指南

语境: shopping, everyday

语气: casual

正确说法

• 这是什么东西？(What is this thing?)
• 我去买点东西。(I'm going to buy some stuff.)

错误说法

• 你是个好东西 (Calling a person 东西 can be very rude — it implies they are worthless)

起源与历史

Literally 'east-west' (东 east + 西 west). The origin of meaning 'thing' is debated — one theory is that ancient markets ran east-west, so buying things meant going east and west.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal