東西

"thing; stuff"

Unknown. Many theories exist.

The mainstream theory states that people in ancient times (Some theories might claim that the vocab origins from the Han or Tang Dynasty) would go to East and West markets to buy goods respectively, and over time this vocab became a pronoun for "things" in vernacular language.^[1]

東西

1. east and west
2. nearby; vicinity
3. everywhere
4. (literary) seventy to eighty years old

東西

1. from east to west

   • 阿富汗，即愛烏罕。其國北界布哈爾，南界俾路支，東界印度，西界波斯，東西二千餘里。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     阿富汗，即爱乌罕。其国北界布哈尔，南界俾路支，东界印度，西界波斯，东西二千余里。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1929, Zhao Erxun (lead editor), Draft History of Qing

     Āfùhàn, jí Àiwūhǎn. Qí guó běi jiè Bùhā'ěr, nán jiè Bǐlùzhī, dōng jiè Yìndù, xī jiè Bōsī, dōngxī èrqiān yú lǐ. [Pinyin]

     Afghanistan (Afuhan), is [also transcribed as] Aiwuhan. This country borders Bukhara to its north, Balochistan to its south, India to its east, and Persia to its west. It spans more than two thousand li from east to west.

• 南北 (nánběi)

東西

1. (chiefly Mandarin, Gan, Hakka, Jin, Xiang) thing; stuff; something (Classifier: 個／个; 件; 樣／样)

   我有東西要給你。 [MSC, trad.]
   我有东西要给你。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ yǒu dōngxi yào gěi nǐ. [Pinyin]

   I have something for you.

   把我的東西還給我。 [MSC, trad.]
   把我的东西还给我。 [MSC, simp.]

   Bǎ wǒ de dōngxi huán gěi wǒ. [Pinyin]

   Give my stuff back.

   我還有很多東西要學。 [MSC, trad.]
   我还有很多东西要学。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ hái yǒu hěn duō dōngxi yào xué. [Pinyin]

   I still have a lot to learn.

   不存在的東西，我怎麼能夠看得到？ [MSC, trad.]
   不存在的东西，我怎么能够看得到？ [MSC, simp.]

   Bù cúnzài de dōngxi, wǒ zěnme nénggòu kàn de dào? [Pinyin]

   How can I see that which does not exist?

2. Referring to a person or animal with emotion.

   你不是個東西！／你不是个东西！  ―  Nǐ bùshì ge dōngxī!  ―  You're good for nothing!

• In Mandarin, whilst 東西／东西 can mean a thing in either a physical or abstract sense, 事情 (shìqing) only means a thing in an abstract sense.

• 物品 (wùpǐn)

• → White Hmong: toobxib

From Middle Chinese 東西 (MC tuwng sej). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) The sai of 西 changes to zai due to rendaku (連濁).

• (Tokyo) とーざい [tóꜜòzàì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [to̞ːza̠i]

東(とう)西(ざい) • (tōzai) 

1. east and west
2. (by extension) all over, here and there
3. Orient and Occident
4. (slang) a name of a good or money, originally a Chinese slang term

• 古(こ)今(こん)東(とう)西(ざい) (kokon tōzai, “all times and places”)
• 東(とう)西(ざい)南(なん)北(ぼく) (tōzai nanboku, “east, west, south and north”)
• 東(とう)西(ざい)冷(れい)戦(せん) (Tōzai Reisen, “Cold War”)

• 南(なん)北(ぼく) (nanboku): north and south - literally, south and north
• 和(わ)洋(よう) (wayō, “Japan and Europe”)

東(とう)西(ざい) • (tōzai) 

1. synonym of 東西東西 (“your attention please; hear ye”)