Chinese Short DialogueChinese Short Dialogue
TOP/HSK 3
dōng xī
东西
shì
是
shén me
什么
dōng xī
东西
What Does '东西' Mean?
dà wèi大卫fā xiàn发现“dōng xī东西”shì是“dōng东”jiā加“xī西”，hào qí好奇zhè ge这个cí词wèi shén me为什么huì会yǒu有xiàn zài现在de的yì si意思。

David notices that '东西' is made up of 'east' and 'west' and wonders why the word has its current meaning.

大卫
lǎo shī老师，wǒ我yǒu有yí gè一个wèn tí问题。'dōng xī东西'wèi shén me为什么shì是'dōng东'hé和'xī西'？

Teacher, I have a question. Why is '东西' made up of 'east' and 'west'?

刘娜
ó哦？nǐ你wèi shén me为什么zhè me这么wèn问？

Oh? Why do you ask?

大卫
'dōng东'shì是dōng biān东边，'xī西'shì是xī biān西边，kě shì可是'dōng xī东西'kě yǐ可以shì是píng guǒ苹果、shū书、shǒu jī手机……

'东' means east and '西' means west, but '东西' can mean apples, books, phones...

刘娜
wèn问dé得hǎo好！yǒu有yī zhǒng一种shuō fǎ说法shì是，hěn jiǔ很久yǐ qián以前，yǒu xiē有些chéng shì城市de的dōng biān东边hé和xī biān西边dōu都yǒu有shì chǎng市场。

Good question! One explanation says that long ago, some cities had markets on both the east and west sides.

大卫
dà jiā大家qù去dōng biān东边hé和xī biān西边de的shì chǎng市场mǎi买dōng xī东西？

So people went to the markets in the east and west to buy things?

刘娜
duì对。yǒu rén有人shuō说，hòu lái后来rén men人们jiù就bǎ把mǎi lái买来de的zhè xiē这些dōng xī东西jiào zuò叫作'dōng xī东西'le了。

Right. Some people say that later, the things people bought came to be called '东西'.

大卫
yuán lái原来shì是zhè yàng这样！

Oh, I see!

刘娜
bù guò不过zhè这zhǐ shì只是yī zhǒng一种shuō fǎ说法，bù不yí dìng一定shì是zhēn de真的。

But that's only one explanation. It may not actually be true.

大卫
nà那wǒ我kě yǐ可以shuō说'mǎi买nán běi南北'ma吗？

Then can I say '买南北'?

刘娜
dāng rán当然bù kě yǐ不可以，zhǐ néng只能shuō说'mǎi买dōng xī东西'。

Of course not. You can only say '买东西'.

大卫
zhōng wén中文lǐ里zěn me怎么yǒu有zhè me这么yǒu yì si有意思de的cí词！

How does Chinese have so many interesting words!

刘娜
duì对，màn màn慢慢xué学，nǐ你hái还huì会fā xiàn发现hěn duō很多。

Yes. Keep learning slowly, and you'll discover many more.

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