TongTong
Sign in

东方 (Dōng fāng) — the East (direction); the Orient; Eastern region

Definition

东方 is a formal, literary word for 'the East' or 'the Orient' (eastern lands/people), usually as a region — more elevated than the plain direction word 东.

noun
the East (direction)the OrientEastern region

Examples

  • 东方。
    Wǒ jiā zài chéng shì de Dōng fāng.
    My home is in the east of the city.
  • 。
    Hěn duō Dōng fāng rén xǐ huan hē chá.
    Many Eastern people like to drink tea.
  • 东方。
    Dōng fāng Yǒu hěn duō hǎo shū.
    The East has many good books.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

东dōngeast
方fāngdirection or place

东 means east, 方 means direction or place; together they name the eastern direction.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 東; 东 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 東 originally drew a full bag tied at both ends. The simplified 东 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 东 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 方 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3Directions

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.