Chinese word

西

Pronunciation

Pinyinxī

Meaning

  • nounwest

Example

太阳从西边落下。tài yáng cóng xī biān luò xià

The sun sets in the west.

Illustration for 西 (west)

More examples

我们向西走，可以看到山。wǒ men xiàng xī zǒu ké yǐ kàn dào shān

When we walk west, we can see the mountains.

Core concept

The sunset edge of a landscape, viewed as a direction that can describe a nearby side or a broad area.

Common phrases

  • 西边xī biān

    west side

  • 西面xī miàn

    west side

Similar words

西边xī biān: The western side of a particular place, including its direction or area.
西方xī fāng: The direction on a compass that points toward sunset.
西部xī bù: The part of a country, region, or other large area that lies in the west.

Definition in Chinese

指太阳落下的方向，常用作名词表示某地的西侧或称作西部的区域。zhǐ tài yáng luò xià de fāng xiàng cháng yòng zuò míng cí biǎo shì mǒu dì de xī cè huò chēng zuò xī bù de qū yù

Word origin

Early forms of 西 (xī, "west") resemble a basket or nest, and the character came to represent the sunset direction through borrowing.

Usage tips

  • On a standard north-up map, west is on the left, so this word connects a compass lesson with a simple visual check for Chinese place descriptions.

Other meanings

  • west sidenoun
  • western regionnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word