东北 dōng běi
“northeast”
place word2021 list level 2Traditional 東北
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
东北 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 598: 东北 dōngběi — Level 3; official annotation 3 (名). PDF page 94
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 东北
A noun meaning “northeast”, the compass direction between north and east (东北、东南、西北、西南 are fixed orders). Capitalized Dōngběi, it names Northeast China (the three provinces). The reading is the same; only the meaning as a proper place name differs.
例句Example sentences
- 我的家乡在中国的东北。wǒ de jiā xiāng zài zhōng guó de dōng běi.My hometown is in the northeast of China.
- 冬天东北的天气非常冷。dōng tiān dōng běi de tiān qì fēi cháng lěng.In winter the weather in Northeast China is extremely cold.
- 学校在火车站的东北方向。xué xiào zài huǒ chē zhàn de dōng běi fāng xiàng.The school is to the northeast of the train station.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗这座城市在中国的北东。
✓这座城市在中国的东北。
Chinese compass compounds have a fixed order: 东北、东南、西北、西南. “北东” is not a valid word.
易混词Easily confused
东北vs北方
北方 is simply “the north (of a country)”; 东北 is the northeast direction or, as Dōngběi, the specific Northeast region of China.
义项All meanings
- Dōng běi: Northeast China; Manchuria
- dōng běi: northeast