Chubby

If this is your first time coming across ‘肥’ (féi) and ‘胖’(pàng) here is a quick guide to help you understand the difference between them.

‘肥’ (féi) which means‘fat’, is an adjective generally used among animals and is using to describe animal fat, for example, ‘肥肉’(féi ròu) which means ‘fat meat’. Sometimes ‘肥’ (féi) can be used on humans too, but is an insult when used it on people.

‘胖’(pàng) which means ‘fat/chubby’, is often used on people and sometimes it can be used on animals too. It carries a cuteness within its meaning, for example, ‘胖乎乎’ (pàng hū hū) which means ‘cute chubby’, ‘肥乎乎’ (féi hū hū) which means ‘fat’.

Put ‘肥’ (féi) and ‘胖’(pàng) together to create a new word ‘肥胖’ (féi pàng) which means ‘obesity’.