胖
fat; chubby
pàng
What does 胖 mean?
胖 (pàng) is the adjective for 'fat' or 'chubby,' applied to people and animals. It refers to body weight, not to thick objects (use 厚 hòu for thick books or walls, 粗 cū for thick ropes or fingers). The cultural register is different from English: in older speech and among family, calling a child 胖 is often warm and even praising — a sign of being well-fed and healthy. The reduplicated form 胖胖的 ('chubby') is openly cute.
With adults today, however, especially urban women, 胖 can sting just like 'fat' in English; softer alternatives include 有点胖 ('a bit heavy') or 丰满 (fēngmǎn, 'curvy / fuller-figured'). The change-of-state pattern is common: 我胖了 ('I've gained weight') / 她瘦了 ('she's lost weight'). Opposite: 瘦 (shòu, thin).
Note: In Chinese, calling someone 胖 is not as harsh as English 'fat,' and 胖 can even be affectionate (胖胖的 = chubby and cute, 小胖 = nickname for a plump kid)
Character breakdown
fat; plump (月 'flesh' radical + 半 'half' as phonetic)
Memory hook: 月 (flesh) + 半 (half / pàn-like sound) = the flesh side of being a half-and-half body = chubby.
Example sentences
我最近胖了三公斤。
Wǒ zuìjìn pàng le sān gōngjīn.
I've gained three kilos lately.
spoken
他的小狗很胖。
Tā de xiǎo gǒu hěn pàng.
His puppy is very chubby.
spoken
我不想变胖，所以少吃肉。
Wǒ bù xiǎng biàn pàng, suǒyǐ shǎo chī ròu.
I don't want to get fat, so I eat less meat.
neutral
她不胖也不瘦，正好。
Tā bú pàng yě bú shòu, zhènghǎo.
She's neither fat nor thin — just right.
spoken
这件衣服让我看起来很胖。
Zhè jiàn yīfu ràng wǒ kàn qǐlái hěn pàng.
This piece of clothing makes me look fat.
spoken
Common phrases with 胖
Synonyms
丰满 means 'curvy / full-figured,' a much more polite and complimentary word, usually for women. 胖 is the plain, direct word. Use 丰满 when you want to be flattering rather than honest.
肥 means 'fat' but in modern Mandarin sounds rude when applied to people — it's more naturally used for animals (肥猪 = fat pig) or rich/fatty foods (肥肉 = fatty meat). 胖 is the right word for people.
Don't confuse 胖 with
FAQ
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