东 (dōng) means "east" with 5 strokes, radical 一 (one), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: east
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form of the traditional character 東 depicted a bag or bundle tied at both ends, likely a sack of goods with cords knotted top and bottom. An older folk etymology, repeated by Xu Shen in the Shuowen Jiezi, read it as the sun 日 rising behind a tree 木, but modern paleography rejects this as a later rationalisation of the bundle shape. The directional meaning 'east' was a phonetic loan from very early on.
Form evolution
Bronze and seal forms preserve the tied-bundle outline with clear top and bottom bindings. Clerical script squared the curves into the traditional 東 with 木 and 日 visibly nested, which is why the folk reading took hold. The simplified form 东 used in mainland China was derived from a cursive shorthand attested in calligraphy for centuries before its official adoption in 1956.
How the meaning evolved
The compass direction 'east' is the only meaning attested in continuous use, with the original bundle sense lost by the Zhou period. By extension 东 came to mean 'host' or 'owner', since a host traditionally sat on the eastern side of a hall when receiving guests, giving compounds like 房东 (landlord) and 股东 (shareholder). This host sense is fully alive in modern Mandarin.
Cultural note
The word 东西 (east-west) meaning 'thing' is a famous oddity. One common explanation is that markets in Tang-era Chang'an were arranged on east and west sides of the city, so buying something meant going east or west, though this etymology is disputed and other Song-dynasty theories exist.
Mnemonic
Sun rising behind a tree — east
Basic info
| Pinyin | dōng |
| Meanings | east |
| Stroke count | 5 strokes |
| Radical | 一 (#1: one) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #138 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 东
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.