东南
dōngnán · HSK 2
southeast
🧭 东南 = east + south = southeast
Compound of 东 (east) + 南 (south). Chinese compass directions list east/west before north/south, so 东南 literally reads east-south, where English says southeast.
东 — sun 日 behind tree 木
Traditionally explained as the sun 日 rising behind a tree 木, pointing to the direction of sunrise — east. Modern paleography suggests the original graph depicted a bundle tied at both ends, and the 'sun-in-tree' reading is a later folk etymology, though it remains the standard mnemonic.
南 — 十 ten + 冂 enclosure + 丷 + 干
Originally a pictograph of a bronze bell or musical instrument hung on a frame, used in southern regional rites. Through phonetic loan, the character came to mean 'south' — the direction one faces when seated as ruler in ancient China. The original 'bell' meaning was lost.