东边
dōng bian · HSK 1
east
🌅 东 (east) + 边 (side) = east side
东 means east — the direction of sunrise. 边 means side or edge. Together 东边 literally reads east-side, used for the eastern part of a place or to the east of something.
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.
边 — 辶 (walk) + 臱 (phonetic)
边 is the simplified form of 邊. It combines the walking radical 辶 with the phonetic component 臱, suggesting a place reached by walking — the edge or border of a territory. The meaning extended from 'frontier' to 'side' or 'edge' in general.