Character etymology for Elementary - Keys, Wallet, Phone 东

mandarinboy
September 11, 2008, 04:45 AM posted in General Discussion

Today we will look at all four cardinal points starting with 东. 

 


Character: 东

Traditional form:

 

Pinyin: dōng

 

Meaning: east, eastern, eastward

HSK level: 1 (basic)

Frequency: 155

Strokes: 5

 

Radical part: 一

Stroke order: http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/character-stroke-order.php?searchChinese=1&zi=%E4%B8%9C

Stroke animation: (the strokes are drawn the direction the picture is tipping)

Etymology: The original shape:

 

 

Man looked to the east to find an suitable sign for this direction. What he

found where the sun(,rì) going up behind a tree (,mù) = 東 ,the sun going up over a tree in the east.

 

Example words:

东西 dōngxi things; objects
东边 dōngbiān eastern side
东北 dōngběi northeast
东南 dōngnán southeast
东方 dōngfāng the East; Eastern countries
东部 dōngbù the east; the eastern part
东京 dōngjīng Tokyo (capital of Japan)

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changye
September 13, 2008, 02:46 PM

Hi mandarinboy,

The etymology of "东" you mentioned above is based on the definition in 说文解字. It seems that most modern scholars deny it on the ground of the shape of "东" in 甲骨文, BUT I still believe that the "rising sun seen through trees" etymology is very plausible and easy to remember.