胖 (pàng) - fat & plump

胖Tone 4

pàng ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 月

柠七

胖 · pàng

fat;

plump;

corpulent;

fleshy;

also used in the compound 心广体胖 meaning 'carefree and content'.

fatplumpcorpulent

Usage highlights

fat personto gain weightchubbyplump and sturdyoverweightfat and strong

Synonyms

  • 肥— fat; obese (often for animals or derogatory for people)
  • 丰满— plump; full-figured (more positive connotation)

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He has gained weight and become fat (胖了).
  • The baby has chubby cheeks (胖乎乎的脸蛋).
  • She wants to lose weight (减肥) because she thinks she is too fat (太胖).
  • A plump cat (胖猫) is sleeping in the sun.

Collocations

  • fat person(胖子)
  • to gain weight(长胖)
  • chubby(胖嘟嘟)
  • plump and sturdy(胖墩墩)
  • overweight(肥胖)
  • fat and strong(胖壮)

Idioms

  • Carefree and content(心广体胖)
  • Fat head and big ears(肥头大耳)
  • A rich man's belly is the grave of a poor man(朱门酒肉臭，路有冻死骨)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese aesthetics, plumpness was sometimes associated with wealth and prosperity, especially in certain historical periods like the Tang dynasty.
  • The character appears in the idiom 心广体胖 from the Confucian classic 'The Great Learning', where it originally meant 'at ease' or 'comfortable' in body, though now often interpreted in the context of physical size.
  • In modern contexts, being '胖' is often viewed negatively due to health and beauty standards, leading to widespread dieting and fitness culture.

FAQ