Meaning of 披
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to drape over one's shoulders
- to open
- to unroll
- to split open
- to spread out
How to use 披
披 is most often used for draping clothes, hair, or a coat loosely over the body without putting your arms in the sleeves. It also appears in words like 披露 (pīlù, to reveal) and the loanword 披萨 (pīsà, pizza). Example: 她披着一件外套。(Tā pī zhe yí jiàn wàitào.) She has a coat draped over her shoulders.
披 is made of the hand radical 扌 and 皮 (pí, skin). Picture a hand throwing an animal skin over your shoulders, which is the core meaning: to drape something over yourself.
Common mistake: Learners often use 披 where 穿 (chuān) is needed. 穿 means to properly put on or wear clothing, while 披 means to drape it loosely over the shoulders. Also do not confuse 披 (pī, first tone) with 被 (bèi), which has a different radical and a fourth tone.
披 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
披 pī · to drape over one's shoulders · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 披.
Questions about 披
What does 披 mean?
披 (pī) means "to drape over one's shoulders; to open" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 披?
披 is made of 1 character: 披 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 披 an HSK word?
Yes. 披 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say someone has long hair down their back using 披?
Use 披着头发 (pī zhe tóufa) or 披头散发 (pītóu sànfà). The first means wearing your hair loose over your shoulders. The second suggests messy, disheveled hair.
Why is pizza written as 披萨?
披萨 (pīsà) is a sound loanword. The characters were chosen for their pronunciation, which is close to the English word pizza, not for their meaning.