大衣(dà yī) - overcoat, coat in Mandarin

大衣 (dàyī) is a long, heavy coat, literally a "big garment": 大 (dà) means big and 衣 (yī) means clothing. It is the word for the full-length winter coat that goes over a jumper or suit, not a short casual jacket.

That makes 大衣 (dàyī) narrower than the general 外套 (wàitào), coat, and different in weight from 夹克 (jiākè), the short jacket. If the garment reaches the knees and is meant to keep out real cold, 大衣 (dàyī) is the natural word; a light zip-up jacket is not.

The measure word is 件 (jiàn), as with most upper-body clothing: 一件大衣 (yí jiàn dàyī), one overcoat. It pairs with 穿 (chuān) for wearing it and 脱 (tuō) for taking it off.