减肥
jiǎnféi · HSK 4
lose weight
⚖️ 减 = reduce + 肥 = fat
减 means to reduce or subtract; 肥 means fat or plump (originally for animals). Together: reduce fat = lose weight. Compare 肥胖 (obese) and 减少 (decrease) for the same components.
减 — water 氵 + 咸 (xián, all/salty)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, originally suggesting water decreasing or draining away, while 咸 supplies the sound (jiǎn shifted from xián). From 'water lessening' the sense broadened to 'reduce, subtract, diminish' in general use.
肥 — flesh radical 月(肉) + 巴
Originally written with 肉 (flesh/meat) on the left and a phonetic-like component on the right, 肥 depicted abundant flesh on a body, hence 'fat' or 'plump'. Over time the 肉 radical was simplified to 月 in left-side position. The meaning extended from animal fatness to 'fertile' (as in rich soil) and 'fertilizer'.