匹
(bound form) matching; comparable to; (bound form) alone; single; one of a pair; horsepower
Closest English meanings
match·equal·measure word
The Calligrapher — Yán Zhēnqīng 颜真卿
Tang master of robust regular script; co-creator of the enduring 'Yan style'.
Tang calligrapher (709–784), master of regular script/running script — the Tang moral paragon whose upright, muscular regular script became the model of Chinese integrity in writing. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
Confucius holds that “匪夫不可夺其志” — not even a common man's will can be seized, though an army's commander may fall. 匪 once measured a bolt of cloth and a team of 馬匪; 匹配 joined what fit. The graph is the lone unit and the pair at once, the one and the two it meets.
Common words & phrases
- 匹配 match · fit · pair
- 匹敌 rival · equal · match
- 马匹 horses · mounts
- 布匹 cloth · piece goods
Read the story behind the character
A dating app runs 匹配 on a swipe; 匪敵 is the rival a team scouts before the match. 馬匪 fill the ranch a tourist rides, and 布匪 the bolt a tailor unrolls. The word sizes a foe, a spouse, and a length of cloth — the measure of what stands equal to what.
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