东

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 东 (dōng) for "east" is composed of two parts: 日 (rì) for "sun" and 木 (mù) for "tree". The original meaning of 东 was "the place where the sun rises", which is the east. In ancient China, people believed that the sun rose from the east and set in the west, so they used the character 东 to represent the east.The character 东 has been used in Chinese for thousands of years. It is one of the most common characters in the Chinese language, and it is used in many different words and phrases. For example, the word 东方 (dōngfāng) means "the east", and the word 东京 (dōngjīng) means "Tokyo".The character 东 is also used in many Chinese idioms and proverbs. For example, the idiom 东山再起 (dōngshān zàiqǐ) means "to rise again after a setback", and the proverb 一日之计在于晨 (yī rì zhī jì zài yú chén) means "the morning is the best time to start the day".The character 东 is a very important character in the Chinese language, and it has a rich history and culture. It is a character that is worth learning for any HSK learner.