肥

• Pinyin: féi
• Hanzi breakdown: 肥 = 月 (flesh/meat) + 巴 (cling) — flesh clinging to the body, meaning fat or plump

Meaning

Fat; plump; fertile. Describes something with excess flesh or richness, or soil that is nutrient-rich.

Used for animals, meat, or soil — rarely used directly for people (which would be impolite; 胖 is the neutral word for people). Common collocations: 肥肉 (fatty meat), 肥沃 (fertile), 化肥 (chemical fertilizer), 肥皂 (soap). In some dialects, 肥 can describe loose-fitting clothes.

Examples

1. 这块肉太肥了，我不太想吃。 This piece of meat is too fatty — I don't really want to eat it.
2. 这片土地很肥沃，适合种庄稼。 This land is very fertile, suitable for growing crops.
3. 农民每年都要给田里施肥。 Farmers fertilize the fields every year.

Usage Guide

Context: food, agriculture, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 我喜欢吃瘦肉，不喜欢吃肥肉。(I like lean meat, not fatty meat.)
• 这里的土地很肥沃。(The soil here is very fertile.)

Don't Say

• 你好肥啊 (Don't use 肥 to describe a person's body — it sounds very rude; use 胖 for a neutral description or avoid commenting entirely)

Origin & History

Composed of the flesh radical 月 (meat/body) and 巴 (to cling to), suggesting flesh that clings to the body — fatness or plumpness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal