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皮鞋 (pí xié) — leather shoes

Definition

皮鞋 is 'leather shoes' — a complete item of footwear. It contrasts with 鞋 (the general word 'shoe') by specifying the material, and with 皮革 (the raw material 'leather/hides').

noun
leather shoes
Measure word · 双

Examples

  • 皮鞋。
    Zhè shuāng pí xié chuān zhuó hěn shū fu.
    This pair of leather shoes is very comfortable to wear.
  • 皮鞋。
    Tā měi tiān shàng bān dōu chuān pí xié.
    He wears leather shoes to work every day.
  • 皮鞋，。
    Xià yǔ tiān bú yào chuān pí xié, huàn yùn dòng xié ba.
    Don't wear leather shoes on rainy days; put on sneakers instead.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

皮píleather or hide
鞋xiéshoes

皮 means leather or hide and 鞋 means shoes, together giving footwear made of leather.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

Open 皮 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
革革géleather
Sound part声符shēngfú
圭
圭guī鞋
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

鞋 puts 革 (leather) beside 圭 to show leather shoes; 圭 gives the sound and originally drew a pair of ritual axes, not earth.

Open 鞋 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 5Footwear & Accessories

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