Writing
东西 (dōngxi) — how to say "thing" in Chinese
东西
Thing, things, object
noun
How to use it
How do you pronounce 东西 for 'thing'?
For the meaning 'thing', say dōngxi: the second syllable is neutral, with no full tone. Dictionaries list dōng xī separately as another reading, so the neutral form is what you want in everyday phrases like 买东西 or 吃东西. It works as a set word, so don't try to read it as 东 'east' plus 西 'west'.
Character composition
东
east
西
west
Radicals / Keys
襾
Cover
#146 · yà · 6 strokes
一
One
#1 · yī · 1 stroke
Synonyms
Collocations
一件东西
yí jiàn dōngxi
one thing
买东西
mǎi dōngxi
buy things
吃东西
chī dōngxi
eat something
Examples
我有很多东西在家里。
I have many things at home.
我有一些东西
I have some things.
Mnemonic
[dōngxi-] Don Quixote goes on a quest for peculiar things 🌍. He imagines finding a magical object hidden between the East (东) and the West (西). On his journey, he often chants: "Where are my 东西? Where are my curious treasures?"
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "thing" in Chinese?
"thing" in Chinese is 东西 (dōngxi).
东西 meaning in English
东西 (dōngxi) means "Thing, things, object".
东西 pronunciation
It is pronounced dōngxi (written as dongxi). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "thing" in Chinese characters?
It is written 东西: 东 has 5 strokes, 西 has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 东西?
东西 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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