大腹便便
dà fù pián pián
pot-bellied; with a big paunch
Character by character
大dà
big
big
腹fù
belly
belly
便pián
paunchy
paunchy
便pián
paunchy
paunchy
Example
才三十出头，他就已经大腹便便，爬三层楼都喘。
He is barely past thirty and already has a paunch; three flights of stairs leave him puffing.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
便便 is read pián pián here, not biàn biàn. From 《后汉书·边韶传》, where students teased the dozing scholar Bian Shao: 边孝先，腹便便. Now mocking, often of fat-cat officials and businessmen: fine about a type, rude about someone in front of you.
Learn this in Lesson 114 · HSK 7–9: 国家喊你减肥 (Data story: the state wants you to lose weight)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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