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英語中對於身材體型（body shape）的各種描述中，「胖」和「瘦」應該是最為常用的。但是，在英語中，對於「胖瘦」的描述，可不僅僅只有fat和thin。今天，我們就跟著Kate Woodford來梳理梳理各種「胖」和「瘦」的英語詞彙。
1、各種「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」，但一般都用於消極含義）:
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「皮包骨頭的；很瘦的」，與thin相比瘦的程度稍大，而且多用於口語中）:
I don’t like his looks – he’s too skinny. （我不喜歡他的長相——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. （這個小孩瘦得只剩皮包骨頭了。）
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」，大多表示臉部瘦削，有時是因為生病所致）:
Her face was gaunt and grey. （她臉色灰暗憔悴。）
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」，這種「瘦」往往是因為生病或極度飢餓所致，而且存有身體健康危險）:
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. （照片裡的夏洛特看起來身材苗條，惹人喜愛。）
7）Other synonyms for 『slim』 have an extra meaning in addition to 『having little fat』. Slender, for example, means 『slim and graceful』（苗條的；修長的）:
She was small and slender, like a dancer. （她身材嬌小苗條，像個舞者。）
8）Lean describes someone who is slim and strong（精瘦的；無脂肪的）:
Long-distance runners are usually fairly lean. （長跑運動員往往很精瘦。）
9）Petite, which is positive in tone,means 『short and slim』 and is only used for women and girls（嬌小的，只用於女性）:
I vaguely remember her as being dark and petite. （我模模糊糊記得她皮膚淺黑,身材嬌小。）
10）Slight, meanwhile, which is neither positive nor negative, means 『thin and delicate』（纖細的；纖弱的）:
We watched her slight figure cross the street. （我們看著她纖弱的身影穿過街道。）
2、各種「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. （他胖得有雙下巴了。）
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；健壯結實的）:
He’s got the stocky build of a rugby player. （他身材健壯得像個橄欖球運動員。）
3）Solid too is often used in this way（結實的，與stocky意近）:
As a child, James was always quite solid. （詹姆斯小時候一直很壯實。）
4）Similarly, big is sometimes used as a less direct way of saying 『fat』（大的，有時可用作fat的委婉語）:
Sophie didn’t use to be so big, did she? （索菲婭過去塊頭沒那麼大，是嗎？）
5）Plump and chubby mean 『slightly fat』 but both sound almost pleasant and are often used of young children（豐滿的、豐腴的，常用來修飾小孩）:
She is plump without being fat. （她長得豐滿，但並不肥胖。）As a baby, he was chubby and had blonde curls. （他小的時候就一副圓胖的樣子，有著金色的捲髮。）
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、過胖的，該詞比較直接，多為醫生用語，用來描述肥胖病人的臨床狀況）:
Too many people in the States are overweight. （超重的美國人太多了。）
7）A patient who is extremely overweight might well be described by the doctor as obese（極肥胖的）:
Obese patients are advised to change their diet. （建議肥胖病人改變飲食。）
如果覺得好，歡迎繼續關注支持廖懷寶的原創頭條號「新概念英語的教與學」！