Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To become excessively fat; to put on a lot of weight, to the point of being noticeably overweight or obese. It describes a significant and often rapid increase in body size due to fat gain.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:
  • Sau kỳ nghỉ Tết, anh ấy đã phát phì lên. (After the Tet holiday, he has put on a lot of weight.)
  • Mèo nhà tôi được cho ăn quá nhiều nên đang phát phì. (My cat is being fed too much and is getting fat.)
  • Cô ấy lo lắng mình sẽ phát phì nếu ăn nhiều đồ ngọt. (She is worried she will become obese if she eats a lot of sweets.)

Advanced Usage

• The word phát phì carries a negative connotation, often implying the weight gain is undesirable, excessive, or unhealthy. It is more emphatic and critical than neutral terms like (to gain weight).
• It can be used figuratively to describe something becoming bloated or excessively large, though this is less common.
  • Công ty phát phì vì quá nhiều nhân viên hành chính. (The company became bloated due to too many administrative staff.)

Variants and Related Words

• Béo phì (n, adj): Obesity; obese. This is the formal medical/descriptive term.
  • Bệnh béo phì đang gia tăng. (Obesity is on the rise.)
• Phát tướng (v): A more euphemistic or gentle term for putting on weight, sometimes used for a healthy plumpness.
  • Bé phát tướng trông rất dễ thương. (The baby has filled out and looks very cute.)
• Tăng cân (v): To gain weight (neutral term).
  • Tôi đã tăng cân sau chương trình tập luyện. (I gained weight after the training program.)

Synonyms

• Béo ra (v): To become fat.
• Lên cân vùn vụt (idiomatic v): To gain weight rapidly.
• Trở nên mập mạp (v): To become plump (can be less negative).

Antonyms

• Sút cân (v): To lose weight.
• Gầy đi (v): To become thin.
• Thon thả (adj): Slim, slender.

Related Idioms

• Ăn no vác nặng không phát phì: An idiom implying that hard physical labor prevents weight gain despite eating well.
  • Làm việc đồng áng vất vả, ăn no vác nặng không phát phì. (Doing hard farm work, you can eat your fill without getting fat.)

1. Put on excessive weight