东西
dōngxi
thing; object
Type: NounsHSK 1
东 (east) + 西 (west). Literally 'east and west', but since everything lies between these two points, it came to mean 'thing'.
In Chinese, '东西' can also refer to a person, but it's derogatory: '你这什么东西' ('what kind of person are you?'). It's also in 买东西 (to go shopping).
这是什么东西？
Zhè shì shénme dōngxi?
What is this thing?
Want to take it further?
This list will always be here whenever you need it. And when you feel like really practising and making the words stick, the HSK 1 Lan app has everything you need:
- 90 radicals explained
- The full HSK1 vocabulary
- 150 practice phrases
- Pronunciation audio
- Animated stroke order