TongTong
Sign in

关东 (Guān dōng) — (historical place name) the region east of Shanhaiguan, i.e., Northeast China (Manchuria); (geographic name) Kantō region of Japan (around Tokyo)

Definition

Two unrelated place names share this name. In Chinese history it means the area east of Shanhaiguan (Northeast China / Manchuria); in Japanese it is the Kantō region around Tokyo.

noun
(historical place name) the region east of Shanhaiguani.e.Northeast China (Manchuria)(geographic name) Kantō region of Japan (around Tokyo)

Examples

  • 关东。
    Tā lái zì zhōng guó Guān dōng dì qū.
    He comes from the Guāndōng region of China.
  • 关东。
    Rì běn Guān dōng dì qū bāo kuò dōng jīng hé héng bīn.
    The Kantō region of Japan includes Tokyo and Yokohama.
  • 关东。
    Lì shǐ shàng Guān dōng shì zhǐ shān hǎi guān yǐ dōng de dì fāng.
    Historically, Guāndōng refers to the area east of Shanhaiguan.

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.

关guānpass
东dōngeast

关 refers to the pass and 东 to east, naming the region east of the pass.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →

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 →
Appears in
China — Places

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.