东西(dōng xī) - thing, object, stuff in Mandarin

The word 东西 literally combines 东 'east' and 西 'west', the two directions standing in for 'things' in general, possibly because goods were once fetched from the eastern and western markets. 东 (traditional 東) is often read as a bundle tied at both ends; 西 is traditionally seen as a bird settling in its nest at sunset, hence west.

Origin

compound

Root

东 (dōng, east) + 西 (xī, west)