東盟 / 东盟
DōngméngMainland China
ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known in Mandarin as 東盟 / 东盟 (Dōngméng). Wiktionary also lists 亞細安 / 亚细安 (Yàxì'ān) and 東協 / 东协 (Dōngxié).
Meaning: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (name)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 東盟 / 东盟 | Dōngméng | Mainland China |
| 亞細安 / 亚细安 | Yàxì'ān | Malaysia, Singapore |
| 東協 / 东协 | Dōngxié | Taiwan |
The term refers to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The formal Mandarin phrase for ASEAN is 東南亞國家聯盟.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 東盟 / 东盟 (Dōngméng) is a contraction of 東南亞國家聯盟 (Dōngnányà Guójiā Liánméng), meaning 'Southeast Asian Nations Alliance'.
Which one should you use?
東盟 / 东盟 is a semantic translation (meaning 'East Alliance'), whereas 亞細安 / 亚细安 is a phonetic transliteration of 'ASEAN'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different regions use different terms: 東盟 / 东盟 is used in Mainland China and is also used by locals in Singapore. In Taiwan, the standard term is 東協 / 东协. In Malaysia and Singapore, the phonetic transliteration 亞細安 / 亚细安 is commonly used.
How do you pronounce it?
Dōngméng
Did you know?
- In the phrase 東盟, the character 盟 historically referred to a 'blood oath' or 'covenant', giving the name a sense of binding commitment stronger than the English word 'association'.
- The term 亞細安 is not a true translation but a phonetic trick. It uses the characters from the word for 'Asia', 亞細亞, to mimic the sound of 'ASEAN'.
- The term 東盟 is a rare example of a 'semantic contraction', where a long formal name is shortened not by taking the first syllable, but by condensing the core meaning into two characters.
Example sentences for Mandarin are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “asean” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 亞細安, CC BY-SA 4.0.
