富态 (fù tai) — (euphemism) stout, portly (used politely to imply prosperity and contentment)

Definition

A polite euphemism for someone who is on the heavier side. Use instead of 胖 to avoid sounding rude — it implies the person looks prosperous and well-off.

adjective
(euphemism) stoutportly (used politely to imply prosperity and contentment)

Examples

  • 富态，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo xiān sheng hěn fù tai, yí kàn jiù shì yǒu fú qi de rén.
    This old gentleman is quite portly — you can tell he's a fortunate man.
  • ，富态。
    Tā suī rán nián jì dà le, dàn shēn cái yī rán hěn fù tai.
    Although she is older, she still has a stout figure.
  • ，富态。
    Nǐ bié shuō tā pàng, yào shuō fù tai.
    Don't call him fat; say he's portly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

富fùrich
态tàiappearance

富 suggests richness and 态 suggests appearance, giving a polite sense of portly stoutness.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
畐
畐fú富fù
Same sound today

富 pairs 宀, a roof-shaped part, with 畐, which gives the sound fú.

Open 富 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
太
太tài态tài
Same sound today

态 is made of 太, which gives the sound, and 心 (heart).

Open 态 →

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