减肥

• Pinyin: jiǎn féi
• Hanzi breakdown: 减 = 冫(ice) + 咸 (phonetic) — to reduce; 肥 = 月 (flesh) + 巴 (phonetic) — fat, plump

Meaning

To lose weight; to go on a diet. The deliberate effort to reduce body weight.

An extremely common topic in everyday Chinese conversation. Can be used as a verb (我在减肥) or noun modifier (减肥方法 = weight-loss method). Related expressions include 减肥药 (diet pills), 减肥食谱 (diet menu), and 减肥成功 (successfully lost weight). Often discussed alongside 健身 (working out) and 节食 (dieting).

Examples

1. 她为了减肥，每天只吃两顿饭。 In order to lose weight, she only eats two meals a day.
2. 减肥不能只靠节食，还要多运动。 You can't lose weight just by dieting — you also need to exercise more.
3. 他减肥了十公斤，看起来年轻了很多。 He lost ten kilograms and looks much younger.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, health, fitness

Tone: conversational

Do Say

• 你最近在减肥吗？(Have you been trying to lose weight lately?)
• 减肥最重要的是坚持。(The most important thing about losing weight is persistence.)

Don't Say

• 这只猫需要减肥工作 (Don't say 减肥工作 — 减肥 itself is the activity; just say 这只猫需要减肥)

Origin & History

A compound of 减 (to reduce) and 肥 (fat/plump), literally meaning to reduce fat — a direct description of losing body weight.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal