Writing Balance Rule: Center the vertical hook stroke and ensure the horizontal fold flows smoothly without collapsing inward.
1. Meaning
Skin, hide, or outer covering of humans, animals, or fruits.
Leather or fur materialsSurface layer or shellNaughty or mischievous (colloquial)Surname PiPico- (one trillionth, used in scientific terminology)
NounNeutral#anatomy#materials#personality#science
Sample Usage
这件皮衣非常保暖。
zhè jiàn pí yī fēicháng bǎonuǎn.
This leather jacket is very warm.
西瓜皮不能吃。
xīguā pí bù néng chī.
Watermelon skin cannot be eaten.
2. Sound
/[pʰi³⁵]/Tone: 35
皮
pípi2
|
++
´(35)
=pí
Initial Consonant
p
Type: Aspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: p sound as in 'pea'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Strong puff of air! A tissue held before lips MUST fly forward.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together firmly, releasing a strong puff of air.
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ee sound as in 'bee'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at a mid pitch and rises sharply to the top, exactly like asking 'Huh?' or 'What?' in English.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the rising Tone 2 (pí) with Tone 1 (pī) or Tone 4 (pì).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture moving upward like an elevator going up or a questioning eyebrow raise.
3. Writing
Topology: Single character · Strokes: 5 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Center the vertical hook stroke and ensure the horizontal fold flows smoothly without collapsing inward.
4. Components
Radical皮 · Skin Radical (Skin, hide)
Originally depicted a hand peeling an animal hide from left to right.
⺃ Hand or pulling motion
丨 Knife or tool peeling downward
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
15· Phonetic Root: 皮 (pí)
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: In Oracle Bone script, it represented a hand peeling the skin off an animal carcass using a tool.
Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the physical act of stripping hide to the resulting noun 'skin' or 'hide', and later extended to outer surfaces and human traits like naughtiness.
The character has remained remarkably stable in form from ancient bronze inscriptions to modern simplified Chinese.
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine a pea (pí) pod where you peel off the green skin to reveal the peas inside.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
坡
pōslopeAdd earth radical (土) on the left for a slope made of dirt.
波
bōwaveAdd water radical (氵) on the left for water waves.
疲
pítiredAdd illness radical (疴/疒) on the left for physical exhaustion.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
彼(bǐ)
Has the person radical (亻) on the left, meaning 'that' or 'other', whereas 皮 stands alone as skin.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这个苹果的[___]很薄。
Clue: pí
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the tone with pì (Tone 4), which changes the meaning completely.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 皮 mean when you see it in 皮鞋 (píxié - leather shoes)?
Production: How do you write the character for skin or leather (pí) in 5 strokes?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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皮pískin, leather, fur
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