真皮 (zhēn pí) — (noun) genuine leather; (noun) dermis (layer of…

Definition

noun

genuine leatherdermis (layer of skin)

Measure word · 块

真皮，。
Zhè ge bāo shì zhēn pí de, hěn guì.
This bag is genuine leather and very expensive.
真皮。
Tā mǎi le yì shuāng zhēn pí shǒu tào.
He bought a pair of genuine leather gloves.
，真皮。
Yī shēng shuō, zhēn pí shì pí fū de dì èr céng.
The doctor said that the dermis is the second layer of skin.

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pískin/leather

真 (genuine) and 皮 (skin/leather) denote real leather or the true skin layer.

Characters in this word

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

貝貝bèicowrie; shell

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠂈

𠂈𠂈真zhēn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

真 pairs 貝 (cowrie shell, used for the meaning) with 𠂈, which gave the sound and originally drew a headlong fall.

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.

Appears in