肥 (féi): fat; plump

Meanings

1 fat; plump
2 fertile; rich (of soil)
3 loose-fitting; large (of clothing)

Characters

肥

féi

fat; fertile; loose-fitting

Contains the flesh/meat radical ⺼ (visually a look-alike of 月 moon), directly relating to body fat.

Examples

这块地很肥，适合种菜。

Zhèkuài dì hěn féi, shìhé zhòngcài.

This soil is very fertile, good for growing vegetables.

这条裤子太肥了，我穿不了。

Zhè tiáo kùzi tài féi le, wǒ chuān bù liǎo.

These pants are too loose, I can't wear them.

他家的猫太肥了。

Tājiā de māo tài féi le.

His cat is too fat.

Tips

usage

肥 is mainly used for animals, soil, or clothing. For people, 胖 is more common and less blunt. Calling someone 肥 is considered rude.

culture

In Chinese agriculture, 肥料 (fertilizer) is a key concept. The character 肥 contains the meat radical ⺼ — originally depicting fattened flesh.

Components

radical

⺼ ròu

flesh; meat (radical, variant of 肉)

Left flesh radical — the compound-position form of 肉, NOT the moon. Anchors 肥 in the body domain: extra flesh on the bones, fat on a body, fertilizer feeding plant flesh. Same family as 胖 chubby, 腿 leg, 脸 face. The look-alike with 月 moon is a graphic coincidence.

semantic

巴 bā

coiled snake; tail (semantic)

Right side 巴 — originally pictured a coiled snake or hanging tail, suggesting something that swells out and droops. Combined with the flesh radical, the compound pictures plump flesh hanging from the body: hence 肥 'fat, plump'. The phonetic match has drifted but the semantic image is vivid.