皮球

• Pinyin: pí qiú
• Hanzi breakdown: 皮 = skin/leather/rubber; 球 = ball/sphere. Rubber or leather ball.

Meaning

Ball; rubber ball; inflatable ball for playing.

General term for play balls, especially rubber or inflatable ones used by children. Includes basketballs, soccer balls, etc. in casual speech. The idiom 踢皮球 (kick the ball around) means to pass responsibility back and forth without solving a problem.

Examples

1. 小朋友们在草地上追着皮球跑来跑去。 The children were running back and forth chasing the ball on the grass.
2. 他把投诉踢来踢去，跟踢皮球似的，问题一直没解决。 He kept passing the complaint around like kicking a ball — the problem was never solved.
3. 爷爷给孙子买了一个大红色的皮球。 Grandpa bought his grandson a big red ball.

Usage Guide

Context: children's play, idioms, sports

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 别踢皮球了。(Stop passing the buck.)
• 一起来玩皮球吧。(Let's play ball together.)

Don't Say

• 在正式体育场合用皮球代替具体球名 (Use specific names like 篮球, 足球 in sports contexts)

Origin & History

Compound of 皮 (skin/leather/rubber) + 球 (ball). Ball made of rubber or leather.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal