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

HSK 1

他家的猫太肥了。

Tā jiā de māo tài féi le.

His cat is too fat.

HSK 2

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.

HSK 4

这块地很肥，适合种菜。

Zhèkuài dì hěn féi, shìhé zhòngcài.

This soil is very fertile, good for growing vegetables.

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.