皮毛

pímáo

noun #15,431

Meanings

1 fur; animal skin and hair
2 superficial knowledge; a smattering

Characters

hair; fur; feather

Examples

这件大衣是用真皮毛做的。

Zhè jiàn dàyī shì yòng zhēn pímáo zuò de.

This coat is made of real fur.

我对中医只懂一些皮毛。

Wǒ duì zhōngyī zhǐ dǒng yīxiē pímáo.

I only have a superficial understanding of Chinese medicine.

Tips

usage

The figurative meaning 'superficial knowledge' is very common: 只知道一些皮毛 (only know the surface). The metaphor is that you've only seen the skin and fur, not the bones and flesh underneath.

Stroke Order

皮 pí

毛 máo