匹

A compound ideograph composed of:

匸 — to conceal; to contain;

八 — to divide.

The character conveys the idea of dividing and pairing, leading to the meaning pair or counterpart.

It is also the name of the radical 疋 (짝 필).

Semantic development:

- division into parts;

- pair or counterpart;

- matching or equality;

- classifier for animals and cloth.

필적 (匹敵) — to match; to be equal

적수 (敵手) — rival (related concept of matching opponent)

In Chinese and Japanese, 匹 is a common classifier, especially for animals (horses) and sometimes cloth.

The meaning “to match or rival” comes from the idea of being equal to a pair or counterpart.

Related characters:

対 — pair; opposite

敵 — opponent; rival

配 — to match; to distribute