Donghai
/ˈtʊŋˌhaɪ/noun
A Chinese geographical name meaning the East Sea, used for parts of the sea east of China and for several places in China.
Did you know?In Chinese cosmology, the East is associated with sunrise, spring, wood, and the Azure Dragon, making the East Sea symbolically more than a geographic label.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
東海
“The eastern sea; 東 meant “east” and 海 meant “sea.””
Han Dynasty
Classical Chinese
東海
“A recognized eastern maritime region and administrative designation in the Chinese world.”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
東海
“Pronounced approximately tung-hái, retaining the literal sense “East Sea.””
19th Century
English
Tung-hai
“An older English romanization of the Chinese name.”
20th Century
Mandarin Chinese
Dōnghǎi
“The modern Hanyu Pinyin romanization of 東海.”
Modern English
English
Donghai
“A modern romanized Chinese proper name used for geographic locations and maritime references.”