東西

See also: 东西

Chinese
east west
trad. (東西) 東 西
simp. (东西) 东 西

Etymology
"thing; stuff"

Unknown. Many theories exist. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “needs a summary”)

Pronunciation 1

Rime
Character 東 西
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Initial (聲) 端 (5) 心 (16)
Final (韻) 東 (1) 齊 (39)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division (等) I IV
Fanqie 德紅切 先稽切
Baxter tuwng sej
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /tuŋ/ /sei/
Pan
Wuyun		 /tuŋ/ /sei/
Shao
Rongfen		 /tuŋ/ /sɛi/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /təwŋ/ /sɛj/
Li
Rong		 /tuŋ/ /sei/
Wang
Li		 /tuŋ/ /siei/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /tuŋ/ /siei/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 dōng xī
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex		 dung1 sai1
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 東 西
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 dōng xī
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ tuwng › ‹ sej ›
Old
Chinese		 /*tˁoŋ/ (< *tˁoŋʔ ?) /*s-nˁər/
English east west

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 東 西
Reading # 1/1 1/1
No. 2435 13236
Phonetic
component		 東 西
Rime
group		 東 微
Rime
subdivision		 0 1
Corresponding
MC rime		 東 西
Old
Chinese		 /*toːŋ/ /*sɯːl/
Notes 種（種籽）初文，甲金文象種皮甲坼萌生根芽，
參敕字陳字注

Noun

東西

  1. east and west
  2. nearby; vicinity
  3. everywhere
  4. (literary) seventy to eighty years old

Adverb

東西

  1. from east to west

Derived terms

See also

Pronunciation 2

Note:
  • dōngxi - standard in China;
  • dōngxī - common in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and South China.

Noun

東西

  1. (chiefly Mandarin, Gan, Hakka, Jin, Xiang) thing; stuff; something (Classifier: 個／个; 件; 樣／样)
    我有東西要給你。／我有东西要给你。  ―  Wǒ yǒu dōngxi yào gěi nǐ.  ―  I have something for you.
    把我的東西還給我。 [MSC, trad.]
    把我的东西还给我。 [MSC, simp.]
    Bǎ wǒ de dōngxi huán gěi wǒ. [Pinyin]
    Give my stuff back.
    我還有很多東西要學。 [MSC, trad.]
    我还有很多东西要学。 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ hái yǒu hěn duō dōngxi yào xué. [Pinyin]
    I still have a lot to learn.
    不存在的東西，我怎麼能夠看得到？ [MSC, trad.]
    不存在的东西，我怎么能够看得到？ [MSC, simp.]
    Bù cúnzài de dōngxi, wǒ zěnme nénggòu kàn de dào? [Pinyin]
    How can I see that which does not exist?
  2. Referring to a person or animal with emotion.
    你不是個東西！／你不是个东西！  ―  Nǐ bùshì ge dōngxī!  ―  You're good for nothing!
Usage notes
  • In Mandarin, whilst 東西／东西 can mean a thing in either a physical or abstract sense, 事情 (shìqing) only means a thing in an abstract sense.
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 東西 (“thing; object”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 物
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 東西
Mandarin Beijing 東西
Taiwan 東西
Tianjin 東西
Tangshan 東西
Cangzhou 東西
Baoding 東西
Shijiazhuang 物件兒
Chifeng 東西
Hulunbuir (Hailar) 東西
Harbin 東西
Shenyang 東西
Yantai (Muping) 東西, 東兒, 物兒
Qingdao 東西
Jinan 東西, 黃子
Luoyang 東西
Wanrong 東西
Zhengzhou 東西
Xi'an 東西
Yinchuan 東西
Lanzhou 東西
Xining 東西
Ürümqi 東西
Wuhan 東西, 家伙
Chengdu 東西
Chongqing 東西, 家私
Guiyang 東西
Kunming 東西
Guilin 東西
Liuzhou 東西, 物件 rural
Xuzhou 東西
Yangzhou 東子, 東西
Nanjing 東西
Hefei 東西
Nantong 東西
Malaysia 東西
Singapore 東西
Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) 東西
Cantonese Guangzhou 嘢
Hong Kong 嘢
Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou) 嘢
Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou) 嘢
Hong Kong (Ting Kok) 嘢
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) 嘢
Macau 嘢
Guangzhou (Panyu) 嘢
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 嘢
Guangzhou (Conghua) 嘢
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 嘢
Foshan 嘢
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 閒嘢
Foshan (Shunde) 嘢
Foshan (Sanshui) 嘢
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 嘢
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 嘢
Zhuhai (Qianshan) 嘢
Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka) 嘢
Zhuhai (Doumen) 閒嘢
Jiangmen (Baisha) 嘢
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 閒嘢
Taishan 閒嘢, 嘢
Kaiping (Chikan) 閒嘢, 嘢
Enping (Niujiang) 家伙
Heshan (Yayao) 閒嘢
Dongguan 嘢
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 嘢
Qingyuan 嘢
Fogang 嘢
Yingde (Hanguang) 嘢
Yangshan 嘢
Lianshan (Butian) 功夫, 東西
Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui) 功夫
Shaoguan 嘢
Shaoguan (Qujiang) 嘢
Renhua 嘢, 東西
Lechang 嘢
Zhaoqing (Gaoyao) 嘢
Sihui 閒嘢
Guangning 閒嘢
Deqing 東西
Huaiji 嘢
Fengkai (Nanfeng) 嘢
Yunfu 嘢
Xinxing 家伙
Luoding 嘢
Yangjiang 嘢
Xinyi 嘢
Lianjiang 嘢
Nanning 嘢
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 嘢
Penang (Guangfu) 嘢
Singapore (Guangfu) 嘢
Gan Nanchang 東西
Lichuan 東西
Pingxiang 東西
Hakka Meixian 東西
Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) 閒嘢, 嘢
Huiyang 東西
Dongguan (Qingxi) 東西
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 東西
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 嘢
Conghua (Lütian) 東西
Changting 東西
Wuping 東西
Liancheng 東西, 物事
Ninghua 東西
Yudu 東西
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 東西
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 東西
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 東西
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 東西
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 東西
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 物件
Hong Kong 東西
Sabah (Bao'an) 東西
Senai (Huiyang) 東西
Huizhou Jixi 物事
Shexian 物事
Jin Taiyuan 東西
Xinzhou 東西
Linhe 東西
Jining 東西
Hohhot 東西
Zhangjiakou 東西
Handan 東西
Min Bei Jian'ou 物事
Jian'ou (Dikou) 物二
Songxi 物事
Zhenghe 二
Zhenghe (Zhenqian) 二
Jianyang 事
Wuyishan 事
Pucheng (Shibei) 契
Min Dong Fuzhou 乇
Changle 乇
Fuqing 乇
Pingtan 乇
Yongtai 乇
Gutian 乇
Fu'an 乇
Ningde 乇
Shouning 乇
Zhouning 乇
Fuding 乇
Matsu 乇
Sitiawan (Gutian) 乇
Min Nan Xiamen 物件, 物
Xiamen (Tong'an) 物件
Quanzhou 物件
Jinjiang 物件
Nan'an 物件
Shishi 物件, 物
Hui'an 物件
Anxi 物件
Yongchun 物件
Dehua 物件
Zhangzhou 物件
Zhangzhou (Longhai) 物件
Zhangzhou (Changtai) 物件
Hua'an 物件
Nanjing 物件
Pinghe 物件
Zhangpu 物件
Yunxiao 物仔
Zhao'an 物件
Dongshan 物件
Taipei 物件
New Taipei (Sanxia) 物件
Kaohsiung 物仔, 物件
Yilan 物仔, 物件
Changhua (Lukang) 物, 物件
Taichung 物件
Tainan 物仔, 物件
Hsinchu 物件
Kinmen 物, 物件
Penghu (Magong) 物, 物件
Penang (Hokkien) 物件
Singapore (Hokkien) 物件
Manila (Hokkien) 物件
Longyan 物
Zhangping 物
Datian 物事
Chaozhou 物件, 物
Shantou 物件
Lufeng 前後
Haifeng 零細
Bangkok (Teochew) 物件
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 物件
Singapore (Teochew) 物件
Leizhou 物
Wenchang 物
Haikou 物
Qionghai 物
Singapore (Hainanese) 物
Puxian Min Putian 物乇
Xianyou 物乇
Min Zhong Yong'an 貨
Sanyuan 貨
Shaxian 貨
Zhongshan Min Shaxi (Longdu) 嘢
Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 嘢
Wu Shanghai 物事, 東西
Shanghai (Chongming) 物事
Suzhou 物事
Tongxiang 東西
Danyang 東西
Hangzhou 東西
Ningbo 東西
Wenzhou 物事, 物色, 名堂
Jinhua 東西
Xiang Changsha 東西, 家伙
Shuangfeng 東西, 家伙
Derived terms
Descendants
  • → White Hmong: toobxib

Japanese
Kanji in this term
東 西
とう
Grade: 2		 さい > ざい
Grade: 2
on’yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 東西 (MC tuwng sej). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?) The sai of 西 changes to zai due to rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

    Noun

    東(とう)西(ざい) • (tōzai) 

    1. east and west
    2. (by extension) all over, here and there
    3. Orient and Occident
    4. (slang) a name of a good or money, originally a Chinese slang term

    Derived terms

    Interjection

    東(とう)西(ざい) • (tōzai) 

    1. Synonym of 東西東西 (“your attention please; hear ye”)

    References
    1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    2. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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