中东 (Zhōng dōng) — Middle East | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Middle East

中东。
Zhōng dōng Shì yí gè zhòng yào de dì qū.
The Middle East is an important region.
中东。
Tā yán jiū Zhōng dōng de lì shǐ.
He studies the history of the Middle East.
中东。
Zhōng dōng De shí yóu zī yuán hěn fēng fù.
The Middle East's oil resources are very abundant.

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.

中 means middle and 东 means east, pointing to the Middle East.

Characters in this word

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

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.