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东道主 (dōng dào zhǔ) — host (of an event, conference or competition)

Definition

东道主 means 'host' of a specific event, competition, or conference — the country, city, or organization that hosts. Unlike 主持 (the person who runs/anchors a program), 东道主 names the venue-providing party.

noun
host (of an event, conference or competition)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 东道主。
    Shàng hǎi shì zhè cì guó jì huì yì de dōng dào zhǔ.
    Shanghai is the host of this international conference.
  • 东道主。
    dōng dào zhǔ Wèi cān sài xuǎn shǒu tí gōng le shū shì de zhù sù tiáo jiàn.
    The host provided comfortable accommodation for the contestants.
  • 东道主。
    Xià yí jiè shì jiè bēi de dōng dào zhǔ yǐ jīng què dìng le.
    The host of the next World Cup has already been decided.

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.

东道eastern road
东dōngeast道dàoroad
偏正Modifier + head
主zhǔmaster

东 and 道 give eastern road, with 主 master, originally host of the eastern road.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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