西 appears in many geographic and cultural terms: 西方 (the West), 西安 (Xi'an, an ancient capital), 西餐 (Western food), 东西 (dōngxi, thing/stuff).
culture
东西 (dōngxi) literally means 'east-west' but is used to mean 'thing/stuff.' One folk explanation: in ancient markets, goods were traded between the east and west sides of town.
