匹

pǐ

measure word HSK 5 #1,915

Meanings

Cǎoyuán shang yǒu sān pǐ mǎ.

There are three horses on the grassland.

Tā mǎi le liǎng pǐ bù zuò yīfu.

She bought two bolts of cloth to make clothes.

Nà pǐ bái mǎ pǎo de zhēn kuài.

That white horse runs really fast.

usage

匹 is primarily used for horses (匹马) and bolts of cloth (匹布). For other animals, use 只 or 头. Using 匹 for non-horse animals sounds wrong.

culture

千里马 (qiānlǐ mǎ, a horse that can run 1000 li) means an exceptionally talented person. 一匹千里马 is someone with rare talent.

匹 pǐ