汉语的习惯里，"胖"有赞美，恭维人的意思，如"祝贺你生了个大胖小子"，"胖呼呼"，甚至给熟悉的人起个绰号叫"胖子"（当然是爱称）。可见"胖"在汉语中有"健康""生活舒心"的意思。那么英语里可以这么说吗？

在英语中，关于"胖"，我们首先想到的就是"fat"。但"fat"在英语中是个强烈的贬义词，是"愚笨"，"迟缓"，"自制力差"的标志，所以在西方如果说某人"fat"，不仅是对别人的伤害与歧视，也是自身粗鲁无教养的表现。

那应该如何恰当而又有礼貌地表达"胖"、"丰满"呢？下面是一些常见的委婉语，不论是翻译还是口语都很有用。



1. gain weight 增加体重,例如:

People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. They gain weight, a new study finds.




2. super size person 超大之人,例如:

No more hamburgers, I don't want to be a super size person.




3. heavyset 身子重的,体格粗壮、敦实的,例如:

He was tall and heavyset.




4. nutritionally endowed 营养丰富的,例如:

Though garlic is a nutritionally endowed food, it is only consumed in small amounts.



5. gravitationally challenged 受地球引力挑战的(增加的体重确实在挑战地球引力),例如:

That girl is gravitationally challenged.




6. well-built 体格健美的,体型匀称的,例如:

That girl is well-built.




7. stout 结实的,壮实的,例如:

She is getting too stout for her dresses.




8. big-boned 骨架大的,例如:

I'm not fat, just big-boned.




9. overweight 超重的,例如:

Overweight in a child should not be neglected.




10. chubby 胖呼呼的(多指小孩和女子)例如:

The baby has a chubby face.




11. buxom 形象健康丰满的,健美的,例如:

A generation ago, fat babies were considered healthy and buxom actresses were popular, but society has since come to worship thinness.

同样，"瘦"不能说"skinny"，这可是"皮包骨"的意思（时尚界的许多模特正在朝这个方向发展），要形容一个人苗条应该用 "slender"，"slim"，或"delicate"。"减肥"则可以说"lose pounds"或"lose weight"。

总之，"胖"和"瘦"是英美人敏感的话题，"fat "和"skinny"的使用要十分小心，注意回避。但是有一个例外就是" phat "（妙，好，酷），是"fat "的异体词，在口语中常常用于赞美美妙的东西，相当于"cool "。例如"The car is really a phat. "