膘 (biāo) - Fat & animal fat

膘Tone 1

biāo ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

傲不

膘 · biāo

Fat;

animal fat;

plumpness (especially in livestock);

refers to the layer of fat beneath the skin of animals, often used to indicate good condition or plumpness in animals raised for meat.

Fatanimal fatplumpness (especially in livestock)

Usage highlights

Animal fatFat conditionLose fat/plumpnessGain fatFat layerGood fat condition

Synonyms

  • 肥— fat; plump (more general term)
  • 脂— fat; grease (more technical, refers to fat tissue)

Antonyms

  • 瘦— thin; lean
  • 瘠— barren; lean (of land or animals)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The pig has a thick layer of fat (猪膘肥).
  • This cattle has good marbling (这头牛膘情好).
  • The horse lost its plumpness after the long journey (马掉膘了).
  • Farmers check the fatness of livestock regularly (农民定期检查牲畜的膘情).

Collocations

  • Animal fat(肉膘)
  • Fat condition(膘情)
  • Lose fat/plumpness(掉膘)
  • Gain fat(长膘)
  • Fat layer(膘层)
  • Good fat condition(膘肥体壮)

Idioms

  • Fat and strong(膘肥体壮)
  • Good fat and strong bones(膘肥骨壮)
  • Fat horse and light fur(膘马轻裘)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally used in animal husbandry to assess the health and market value of livestock.
  • In Chinese cuisine, certain cuts with good 'biao' (marbling) are considered higher quality.
  • The character reflects the importance of animal husbandry in traditional agricultural society.

FAQ