匹 pǐ bolt of cloth

源How it came to be

Woven cloth rolled up, seen from the end so the roll shows. It became a counting word: a bolt, then a horse, since a horse was traded against a bolt of cloth.

用How it is used

• Specialized measure word for horses: 一匹马 (yì pǐ mǎ) "a horse" - a fixed, memorized pairing, not the general animal classifier 只.
• Also the classifier for bolts of cloth (its older literal meaning).
• 匹配 pǐpèi "to match, be compatible" is the common abstract verb, used for anything from personality compatibility to technical component matching.

词Words with 匹

• 匹配pǐpèito mate or marryHSK 8

句Example sentences

• 草地上有两匹马。 Cǎodì shàng yǒu liǎng pǐ mǎ.There are two horses in the meadow.