皮

The Chinese character 皮 (pī) for "skin" is a pictograph that depicts a hide or pelt. It is composed of two parts: the radical 韋 (wéi), which means "leather" or "hide", and the phonetic component 卑 (bēi), which is pronounced similarly to 皮. The character 皮 has been used in Chinese writing for over 3,000 years and has a rich history of usage. In addition to its literal meaning of "skin", it can also be used figuratively to refer to the surface or appearance of something, or to the superficial aspects of a person's character. For example, the phrase 皮厚 (pī hòu) means "thick-skinned" or "insensitive", while the phrase 皮笑肉不笑 (pī xiào ròu bù xiào) means "to smile on the outside but not on the inside". The character 皮 is also used in many common Chinese idioms and proverbs, such as the saying 一皮天下無難事 (yī pí tiān xià wú nán shì), which means "with a thick skin, there is nothing difficult in the world".