Fitness goals & diets in Chinese 减肥健身
jiǎnféi jiànshēn
Lose weight in Chinese is 减肥 (jiǎn féi).
Also searched for as: lose weight in Chinese, diet in Chinese, bulking and cutting, fitness goals, calories.
Cutting, bulking and counting every calorie. 15 essential fitness goals & diets words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for losing weight in Chinese is 减肥 (jiǎn féi), literally 'reduce fat', and it's often paired with 健身 (jiàn shēn), working out. Chinese fitness talk is full of gym jargon, such as 减脂 (jiǎn zhī, cutting) and 增肌 (zēng jī, bulking), and social media habits like 打卡 (dǎ kǎ), posting proof of every workout. These words help you talk diets, goals and the dreaded plateau.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 减肥 | jiǎn féi | to lose weight; to diet |
| 减脂 | jiǎn zhī | to cut fat |
| 增肌 | zēng jī | to build muscle; to bulk |
| 卡路里 | kǎ lù lǐ | calorie |
| 蛋白质 | dàn bái zhì | protein |
| 碳水 | tàn shuǐ | carbs |
| 健身餐 | jiàn shēn cān | fitness meal; meal prep |
| 轻断食 | qīng duàn shí | intermittent fasting |
| 体脂率 | tǐ zhī lǜ | body fat percentage |
| 马甲线 | mǎ jiǎ xiàn | toned abs (on women) |
| 打卡 | dǎ kǎ | to check in (post proof of a workout) |
| 自律 | zì lǜ | self-discipline; disciplined |
| 平台期 | píng tái qī | plateau |
| 反弹 | fǎn tán | to bounce back (regain weight) |
| 管住嘴，迈开腿 | guǎn zhù zuǐ mài kāi tuǐ | eat less, move more |
Usage tips
- 减肥 (jiǎn féi) is the everyday word for losing weight, while 减脂 (jiǎn zhī) specifically means losing body fat, often while keeping muscle; regular gym-goers tend to prefer the second.
- 管住嘴，迈开腿 (guǎn zhù zuǐ, mài kāi tuǐ), 'control your mouth, move your legs', is the classic saying about weight loss, and people often quote it half-jokingly.
- 碳水 (tàn shuǐ) is short for 碳水化合物 (tàn shuǐ huà hé wù), carbohydrates, and you'll hear it in phrases like 少吃碳水 (shǎo chī tàn shuǐ), eat fewer carbs.
Common mistakes
- Reading 率 in 体脂率 as shuài → when it means a rate, 率 is read lǜ: 体脂率 (tǐ zhī lǜ).
- Copying the blunt 你胖了 (nǐ pàng le), 'you've put on weight', which you may hear from older relatives, can hurt from a friend → if you want to be supportive, say 你气色很好 (nǐ qì sè hěn hǎo), 'you look well'.
Mini dialogue
- A你怎么不吃米饭？Nǐ zěn me bù chī mǐ fàn?Why aren't you eating rice?
- B我在减脂，晚上尽量少吃碳水。Wǒ zài jiǎn zhī, wǎn shang jǐn liàng shǎo chī tàn shuǐ.I'm cutting, I try to eat fewer carbs in the evening.
- A效果怎么样？Xiào guǒ zěn me yàng?How's it going?
- B一开始瘦得很快，现在遇到平台期了。Yī kāi shǐ shòu de hěn kuài, xiàn zài yù dào píng tái qī le.At first I lost weight fast, but now I've hit a plateau.
- A别着急，你每天都健身打卡，已经很自律了。Bié zháo jí, nǐ měi tiān dōu jiàn shēn dǎ kǎ, yǐ jīng hěn zì lǜ le.Don't worry, you post a workout every day, you're already really disciplined.
Example sentences
- 我又开始减肥了。I've started dieting again.
- 减脂期不能吃夜宵。No late-night snacks while I'm cutting.
- 我想增肌，所以吃很多鸡胸肉。I want to bulk up, so I eat lots of chicken breast.
- 这杯奶茶的卡路里太高了。This bubble tea has way too many calories.
- 健身以后要补充蛋白质。You need to get some protein in after a workout.
- 晚上我尽量少吃碳水。I try to eat fewer carbs in the evening.
- 我中午吃自己做的健身餐。For lunch I eat my own meal prep.
- 你试过轻断食吗？Have you tried intermittent fasting?
- 我的体脂率降到了百分之二十。My body fat is down to 20 per cent.
- 她终于练出了马甲线。She's finally got toned abs.
- 我每天在朋友圈健身打卡。I post a workout check-in on WeChat Moments every day.
- 他每天六点起来跑步，太自律了。He gets up at six every day to run, so disciplined.
- 我减肥遇到平台期了。I've hit a plateau with my weight loss.
- 节食减肥很容易反弹。With crash diets the weight comes back easily.
- 减肥就六个字：管住嘴，迈开腿。Losing weight comes down to six words: eat less, move more.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Fitness goals & diets speaking island has 8 everyday questions about fitness goals & diets to prepare your own answers to.