东
east
dōng
What does 东 mean?
东 (dōng) means 'east' — the direction where the sun rises. It is one of the four cardinal directions: 东 (east), 南 (nán, south), 西 (xī, west), 北 (běi, north). As a stand-alone direction, 东 usually needs a location suffix in modern Chinese: 东边 (dōngbian) 'the east side,' 东面 (dōngmiàn) 'the east face,' 东方 (dōngfāng) 'the East (region / culture).'
You'll see 东 in place names everywhere: 山东 (Shāndōng) literally 'east of the mountain,' 东京 (Dōngjīng) 'Tokyo' ('eastern capital')
Character breakdown
east
Memory hook: The traditional form 東 pictures the sun (日) rising through a tree (木) — the sun rises in the east.
Example sentences
太阳从东边升起。
Tàiyáng cóng dōngbian shēngqǐ.
The sun rises from the east.
neutral
我家在城市的东边。
Wǒ jiā zài chéngshì de dōngbian.
My home is on the east side of the city.
neutral
请往东走，过两个路口就到了。
Qǐng wǎng dōng zǒu, guò liǎng ge lùkǒu jiù dào le.
Please go east — after two intersections you'll be there.
spoken
他来自中国东北。
Tā láizì Zhōngguó Dōngběi.
He comes from Northeast China.
neutral
山东有很多有名的菜。
Shāndōng yǒu hěn duō yǒumíng de cài.
Shandong has many famous dishes.
neutral
Common phrases with 东
Synonyms
东方 is 'the East' as a cultural / geographic region (the Orient, eastern hemisphere). 东 by itself is the raw direction. 'The sun rises in the east' uses 东边; 'Eastern philosophy' uses 东方.
东边 is the natural everyday way to say 'on the east side / to the east.' In modern conversation 东 alone often needs 边 / 面 attached to stand as a noun.