东南西北中

東南西北中

dōngnánxīběizhōng

phrase

Meanings

1 the five directions: east, south, west, north, and center
2 (by extension) every direction; everywhere

Characters

Examples

东南西北中，五方之神各司其职。

Dōng nán xī běi zhōng, wǔ fāng zhī shén gè sī qí zhí.

East, south, west, north, and center — the gods of the five directions each have their duties.

麻将里东南西北中是基本牌。

Májiàng lǐ dōng nán xī běi zhōng shì jīběn pái.

In mahjong, East-South-West-North-Center are basic tiles.

Tips

culture

The 五方 cosmology adds 中 (center) to the four cardinal directions, mapping to the 五行 (Five Phases): wood/east, fire/south, metal/west, water/north, earth/center. Mahjong's wind tiles 东南西北 are this set minus 中, with 中 reappearing in the dragon tiles 中发白.

Stroke Order

东 dōng

南 nán

西 xī

北 běi

中 zhōng