皮 (pí) - skin & hide

皮Tone 2

pí ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 皮

柠七

皮 · pí

skin;

hide;

leather;

fur;

surface;

cover;

naughty;

tough;

rubber

skinhideleather

Usage highlights

skinleathernaughtyrubberfur coatbook cover

Synonyms

  • 肤— skin (more formal, biological)
  • 革— leather (processed hide)
  • 表— surface, exterior

Antonyms

  • 肉— flesh, meat (inner vs. outer)
  • 骨— bone (internal structure vs. external covering)
  • 里— inside, interior

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The child's skin is very fair (皮肤).
  • This is a leather bag (皮包).
  • He is a naughty child (调皮的孩子).
  • The surface of the table is smooth (桌面很光滑).

Collocations

  • skin(皮肤)
  • leather(皮革)
  • naughty(调皮)
  • rubber(橡胶皮)
  • fur coat(皮大衣)
  • book cover(书皮)

Idioms

  • Drawing legs on a snake(画蛇添足)
  • The sheep's head but the dog's meat(挂羊头卖狗肉)
  • Skin-deep friendship(皮笑肉不笑)
  • A book by its cover gets its leaves dog-eared(人靠衣装马靠鞍)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the earliest characters, appearing on oracle bones, originally depicting animal skin being peeled.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, skin reflects internal health; 'skin problems' often relate to lung or large intestine meridians.
  • Used metaphorically for superficiality (e.g., 皮相之见 - superficial opinion) and resilience (e.g., 皮实 - tough).

FAQ