如何用英语表达各种“胖”和“瘦”?慎用哦!

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英语中对于身材体型(body shape)的各种描述中,“胖”和“瘦”应该是最为常用的。但是,在英语中,对于“胖瘦”的描述,可不仅仅只有fat和thin。今天,我们就跟着Kate Woodford来梳理梳理各种“胖”和“瘦”的英语词汇。

1、各种“瘦”

1)Probably the most commonly used adjective to describe someone who has too little fat is thin. ‘Thin’ is often used in a negative way(thin表示“瘦”,但一般都用于消极含义):

She’s very pretty, but she’s too thin. (她很漂亮,但太瘦了。)

2)Skinny, a slightly informal word, means very much the same(skinny表示“皮包骨头的;很瘦的”,与thin相比瘦的程度稍大,而且多用于口语中):

I don’t like his looks – he’s too skinny. (我不喜欢他的长相——他太瘦了。)

3)Even thinner than ‘skinny’ is scrawny (also a slightly informal word). Someone who is scrawny is so thin that their bones stick out(scrawny表示“骨瘦如柴的;瘦骨嶙峋的”):

He was a scrawny little kid. (这个小孩瘦得只剩皮包骨头了。)

4)Gaunt, meanwhile, is used to describe a very thin face, sometimes a face that is thin because a person is ill(gaunt表示“憔悴的”,大多表示脸部瘦削,有时是因为生病所致):

Her face was gaunt and grey. (她脸色灰暗憔悴。)

5)The adjective emaciated describes someone who is dangerously thin, usually through illness or extreme hunger. It describes the whole of the body(emaciated表示“瘦弱的;消瘦的”,这种“瘦”往往是因为生病或极度饥饿所致,而且存有身体健康危险):

Some of the patients were quite emaciated. (一些病人非常瘦弱。)

6)The above adjectives are generally negative, but there are as many adjectives to describe people who are thin in a way that is positive. Probably the most common of these is slim. If someone is slim they are quite thin in a way that is attractive:

Charlotte was looking lovely and slim in the photos. (照片里的夏洛特看起来身材苗条,惹人喜爱。)

7)Other synonyms for ‘slim’ have an extra meaning in addition to ‘having little fat’. Slender, for example, means ‘slim and graceful’(苗条的;修长的):

She was small and slender, like a dancer. (她身材娇小苗条,像个舞者。)

8)Lean describes someone who is slim and strong(精瘦的;无脂肪的):

Long-distance runners are usually fairly lean. (长跑运动员往往很精瘦。)

9)Petite, which is positive in tone,means ‘short and slim’ and is only used for women and girls(娇小的,只用于女性):

I vaguely remember her as being dark and petite. (我模模糊糊记得她皮肤浅黑,身材娇小。)

10)Slight, meanwhile, which is neither positive nor negative, means ‘thin and delicate’(纤细的;纤弱的):

We watched her slight figure cross the street. (我们看着她纤弱的身影穿过街道。)


2、各种“胖”

1)Of course, there are just as many words to describe the opposite situation. Fat is probably the most commonly used adjective for describing someone who has too much flesh but, it is very direct(肥胖的;多脂肪的):

He was so fat that he had a double chin. (他胖得有双下巴了。)

2)We sometimes use other, slightly less negative words to describe someone who is a little fat. Stocky, for example, means ‘strong and wide’(矮胖的;健壮结实的):

He’s got the stocky build of a rugby player. (他身材健壮得像个橄榄球运动员。)

3)Solid too is often used in this way(结实的,与stocky意近):

As a child, James was always quite solid. (詹姆斯小时候一直很壮实。)

4)Similarly, big is sometimes used as a less direct way of saying ‘fat’(大的,有时可用作fat的委婉语):

Sophie didn’t use to be so big, did she? (索菲娅过去块头没那么大,是吗?)

5)Plump and chubby mean ‘slightly fat’ but both sound almost pleasant and are often used of young children(丰满的、丰腴的,常用来修饰小孩):

She is plump without being fat. (她长得丰满,但并不肥胖。)

As a baby, he was chubby and had blonde curls. (他小的时候就一副圆胖的样子,有着金色的卷发。)

6)Some ‘fat’ words, on the other hand, are very direct. Overweight is an adjective that a doctor might use to describe a fat patient. It is slightly clinical in tone.(超重的、过胖的,该词比较直接,多为医生用语,用来描述肥胖病人的临床状况):

Too many people in the States are overweight. (超重的美国人太多了。)

7)A patient who is extremely overweight might well be described by the doctor as obese(极肥胖的):

Obese patients are advised to change their diet. (建议肥胖病人改变饮食。)


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