肪

Formed as a phono-semantic compound combining:

肉 (월 / flesh radical) — semantic component meaning “body,” “flesh,” or “meat.”

方 (모 방) — phonetic element providing pronunciation (fáng / bang).

Thus, the original sense of 肪 is “fat within the flesh,” particularly the visible or palpable fat that makes meat tender and rich.

지방 (脂肪) — fat, adipose tissue

비방 (肥肪) — fatty substance; corpulence

혈방 (血肪) — fat in the blood; lipid

In general usage, 肪 rarely appears alone in Korean but forms part of scientific and medical compounds like 지방 (脂肪), which literally means “fat and grease.”

In traditional East Asian thought, fat (肪) symbolized stored vitality and abundance.

Meat rich in fat was considered nourishing and warming (溫補), used in restorative diets and tonics for vitality recovery.

Poetically, 肪 represents softness, abundance, and comfort, often contrasted with leanness (瘦).

It embodies the concept of plenty within moderation — fullness that supports life, yet when excessive, becomes a sign of indulgence.

In medical and cosmological symbolism, 肪 aligns with the Earth (土) element: substance, sustenance, and the body’s capacity to preserve energy.