Amy and her friend Linda meet at a cafe to chat.
Amy: Look at you! You’re so slim!
Linda: Thanks!
Amy: I wish I were you! I really admire those who keep a good figure.
Linda: If you eat a healthy diet, you’ll…
Amy: I know, I know. It makes sense, but I’m sorry, ice-cream is too delicious!!
Linda: Yeah…
The right figure seems to be an everlasting topic of conversation among the ladies. Let’s look at a few ways to describe staying in shape and having a nice figure.
When a woman has a ridiculously good figure, people often use the term “魔鬼身材 (móguǐ shēncái)” to describe her beauty. Literally, “魔鬼 (móguǐ)” means devil, “身材 (shēncái)” means figure and “魔鬼身材” would literally translate to figure of the devil. The phrase implies the question, “What devil did she sell her soul to for that body?”
Example:
Kuài kàn duìmiàn nàge nǚshēng, zhēn shì móguǐ shēncái a.
快 看 对面 那个 女生， 真 是 魔鬼 身材 啊！
Look at that girl across the room. She’s got the perfect figure.
“性感 (xìnggǎn)” is a newly popularized word to describe a woman who is sexy. The word originally comes from English. At first, it was not quite accepted by Chinese but gradually caught on. Young friends might say “性感 (xìnggǎn)” to describe a sexy woman.
Example:
Nǐ chuān nà jiàn yīfu kànzhe hěn xìnggǎn.
你 穿 那 件 衣服 看着 很 性感。
You look so sexy in that dress.
“丰满 (fēngmǎn)” means well-rounded figure and shows appreciation for the voluptuous lady. “苗条 (miáotiao)” means slim. These two are also usually used to describe the varying body types of women.
Example:
Wǒ de jiějie hěn fēngmǎn, dàn wǒ de mèimei què hěn miáotiao.
我 的 姐姐 很 丰满， 但 我 的 妹妹 却 很 苗条。
My older sister is voluptuous, but my younger sister is slim.
Practice:
1. Which of the following phrases can describe a woman who has a ridiculously perfect figure?
A. 魔鬼身材 (móguǐ shēncái)
B. 性感 (xìnggǎn)
C. 苗条 (miáotiao)
2. When a woman is voluptuous, how do you describe her figure in Chinese?
A. 魔鬼身材 (móguǐ shēncái)
B. 性感 (xìnggǎn)
C. 丰满 (fēngmǎn)
Answers to the practice questions: 1. A 2. C
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