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東: East

By April 13, 2015January 16th, 2017Chinese Word, Japanese Word, Language-Learning, Music

 

東 [东] dōng

noun
: east

Kun Reading

東 | ひがし higashi

noun
: east

東 | あずま azuma

noun
: east

On Reading

とう tou

 Usage:

東[东]西 dong1xi1: things; person
[東西 | とうざい touzai: east & west]
東[东]南 dong1nan2: southeast [東南 | とうなん tounan]
東[东]方dong1fang1: the East; Eastern countries; the Orient
[とうほう touhou OR ひがしかた higashikata: eastern direction; the Orient]
東風 [东风] dong1feng1: easterly wind
[東風 | こち kochi: east wind; spring wind]
東[东]京dong1jing1: Tokyo [東京 | とうきょう Toukyou]
東[东]北 dong1bei3: northeast; Northeast China; Manchuria
[とうほく tohoku: north-east: Tohoku (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu)]
東[东]部 dong1bu4: the east; eastern part
[東部 | とうぶ toubu: eastern part; the east (of a region)]
東[东]南西北 dong1 nan2 xi1 bei3: east, south, west and north; all directions
[東西南北 | とうざいなんぼく touzai nanhoku: east, west, south and north]
中東[东] zhong1dong1: Middle East
[なかひがし nakahigashi OR なかとう nakatou OR ちゅうとう chuutou]
房東[东] fang2dong1: landlord
[家主 | やぬし yanushi OR いえぬし ienushi: landlord OR 大屋 | おおや ooya: landlord; landlady]
財東 [财东] cai2 dong1: shop owner; moneybags
股東[东] gu3dong1: shareholder; stockholder
[株主 | かぶぬし kabunushi: shareholder; stockholder]
做東[东] zuo4dong1: to act as host
廣東[广东] guang3dong1: Guangdong province (Kwangtung) in south China, short name 粵, capital Guangzhou 廣州
山東[东] shan1dong1: Shandong province (Shantung) in northeast China, abbr. 魯, capital 濟南



Chinese personality
毛澤東 [毛泽东] mao2 ze2 dong1
: Mao Zedong (1893-1976), (Chairman Mao) Chinese communist leader and founding father of the People’s Republic of China.

 
汪東城 wang1 dong1 cheng2
: Jiro Wang (1981-), Taiwanese model, singer and actor, formerly of boy band Fahrenheit fame.
 



Japanese expression | yojijukugo 四字熟語 | idiomatic expression
遼東の豕 | りょうとうのいのこ ryoutou no inoko
: taking pride in something mundane, thinking it is exceptional; Liaodong boar

東西東西 | とうざいとうざい touzai touzai
: ladies and gentlemen!; roll up, roll up!

馬耳東風 | ばじとうふう baji toufuu
: (yoji) utter indifference; talking to the wall; praying to deaf ears

東は東西は西 | ひがしはひがしにしはにし higashi wa higashi nishi wa nishi
: East is East, and West is West

*東奔西走 | とうほんせいそう touhonseisou
: (yoji) busying oneself about (something); being on the move; bestirring oneself; on the go; taking an active interest

西も東も分からない | にしもひがしもわからない nishi mo higashi mo wakaranai
: not knowing one’s way around; not familiar with the area; not knowing what to do



Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom
東拉西扯 [东拉西扯] dong1 la1 xi1 che3
: to talk about this and that; to ramble incoherently

東鱗西爪 [东鳞西爪] dong1 lin2 xi1 zhao3
: lit. a dragon’s scale from the east and a dragon’s claw from the west; odds and ends

一東一西 [一东一西 ] yi1 dong1 yi1 xi1: far apart

各奔東西 [各奔东西] ge4 ben4 dong1 xi1
: to go separate ways; to part ways with someone

*東奔西走 [东奔西走] dong1 ben1 xi1 zou3
: to run this way and that; to rush about busily; to bustle about; to hopscotch
also 東跑西顛|东跑西颠 dong1 pao3 xi1 dian1
OR
東奔西跑 [东奔西跑] dong1 ben1 xi1 pao3
: to run this way and that; to rush about busily; to bustle about

福如東海 [福如东海] fu2 ru2 dong1 hai3
: (blessing) may your happiness be as immense as the East Sea
OR
福如東海,壽比南山 fu2 ru2 dong1 hai3 shou4 bi3 nan2 shan1
: (blessing) may your happiness be as immense as the East Sea, live as long as the Zhongnan Mountains! Long may you live with immense happiness!

聲東擊西 [声东击西] sheng1 dong1 ji1 xi1
: to make a declaration for the east and strike to the west; to misdirect

拆東牆補西牆 [拆东墙补西墙] chai1 dong1 qiang2 bu3 xi1 qiang2
: lit. pull down the east wall to repair the west wall; fig. temporary expedient. Rob Peter to pay Paul

失之東隅,收之桑榆 [失之东隅,收之桑榆] shi1 zhi1 dong1 yu2 , shou1 zhi1 sang1 yu2
: to lose at sunrise but gain at sunset; to compensate later for one’s earlier loss. What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

只欠東風 [只欠东风] zhi3 qian4 dong1 feng1
: all we need is an east wind; lacking only one tiny crucial item

東一榔頭西一棒子 [东一榔头西一棒子] dong1 yi1 lang2 tou2 xi1 yi1 bang4 zi
: banging away clumsily in all directions with no overall vision

萬事俱備,只欠東風 [万事俱备,只欠东风] wan4 shi4 ju4 bei4 , zhi3 qian4 dong1 feng1
: lit. everything is ready, all we need is an east wind; fig. lacking only one tiny crucial item
OR
萬事皆備,只欠東風 [万事皆备,只欠东风] wan4 shi4 jie1 bei4 , zhi3 qian4 dong1 feng1

 Etymology:


象形 Pictographic.
Picture of a bag tied at both ends.



Suggested Mnemonic.
Sun (ri4: sun radical 72) rising behind a
tree (mu4: tree radical 75)



簡體 Simplified.
东. Created as generic character simplification #25 (東 » 东).

 Music:


東風破 – Jay Chou 周杰伦

作詞:方文山
作曲:周杰倫
編曲:林邁可

一盞離愁 孤單佇立在窗口
我在門後 假裝妳人還沒走
舊地如重遊 月圓更寂寞
夜半清醒的燭火 不忍苛責我

一壺漂泊 浪跡天涯難入喉
妳走之後 酒暖回憶思念瘦
水向東流 時間怎麼偷
花開就一次成熟 我卻錯過

誰在用琵琶彈奏 一曲東風破
歲月在牆上剝落 看見小時候
猶記得那年我們都還很年幼
而如今琴聲幽幽 我的等候 妳沒聽過
誰在用琵琶彈奏 一曲東風破
楓葉將故事染色 結局我看透
籬笆外的古道我牽著你走過
荒煙漫草的年頭 就連分手都很沉默

一壺漂泊 浪跡天涯難入喉
妳走之後 酒暖回憶思念瘦
水向東流 時間怎麼偷
花開就一次成熟 我卻錯過

誰在用琵琶彈奏 一曲東風破
歲月在牆上剝落 看見小時候
猶記得那年我們都還很年幼
而如今琴聲幽幽 我的等候 妳沒聽過
誰在用琵琶彈奏 一曲東風破
楓葉將故事染色 結局我看透
籬笆外的古道我牽著你走過
荒煙漫草的年頭 就連分手都

誰在用琵琶彈奏 一曲東風破
歲月在牆上剝落 看見小時候
猶記得那年我們都還很年幼
而如今琴聲幽幽 我的等候 妳沒聽過
耶耶耶耶耶
籬笆外的古道我牽著你走過
荒煙漫草的年頭 就連分手都沉默

籬笆外的古道我牽著你走過 就連分手都沉默

credit: Jay Chou 周杰倫

Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary