东西
The English phrase "things" is translated into Mandarin as 东西.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 东西 is composed of the characters for "east" (东) and "west" (西).
How does it change in a sentence?
东西 is a noun that does not change its form to indicate plurality. The context or a quantifier determines if it refers to one thing or multiple things.
Did you know?
- In Mandarin, calling a person 东西 can be a severe insult. While it means 'things', using it to describe a human suggests they are a mere object or a 'piece of stuff'.
- The tone of the word 东西 changes its meaning entirely. If the second character is pronounced with a rising tone instead of a falling tone, it refers to the cardinal directions 'east and west' rather than 'objects'.
- While 东西 refers to physical 'things', you cannot use it to describe abstract 'things' like ideas or feelings. For those, speakers use 事情, which specifically refers to affairs or matters.
Examples in context
- 不要再碰我的东西。Don't ever touch my things again.Tatoeba #8784007 by slo_oth, translation #4717615 by xorgy
- 汤姆的东西在哪里？Where are Tom's things?Tatoeba #9956685 by GlossaMatik, translation #1886645 by CK
- 东西在爸爸的车上。The things are in dad's car.Tatoeba #10961059 by xjjAstrus, translation #10967202 by carlosalberto
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At home, Zhiqiang is helping Xiaowen clean the living room.
- 志强 Zhiqiang这些东西很重吗？zhèxiē dōngxi hěn zhòng ma?Are these things very heavy?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen不重，只是有点多。bù zhòng, zhǐshì yǒudiǎn duō.Not heavy, just a bit much.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我们要把东西搬到哪里？wǒmen yào bǎ dōngxi bān dào nǎlǐ?Where should we move these things to?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen先把东西放进那个盒子里。xiān bǎ dōngxi fàng jìn nàge hézi lǐ.Put the things into that box first.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
