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I often see phrases of the form Xがよい (where X is a noun) e.g. 頭がよい, 仲がよい etc.
In these examples the characteristic being described is desirable (clever,
good relationship etc) so よい seems sensible.

I came across 肉付きがよい recently. Perhaps I misunderstand the term but I assume
it means fat/chubby; a characteristic which in many (most?) cultures is not
seen as desirable.

So my question is, is Xがよい neutral, i.e can it be used for non-desirable
characteristics too? Or perhaps, when the phrase was first used, being fat was
as sign of status and richness and so was seen as a desirable characteristic.

Are there other examples of Xがよい like this?
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2022-12-23T16:51:42.880
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2022-12-24T00:36:32.913
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usage etymology
Implication of Xがよい
I think I would characterize「肉付きがよい」as more along the lines of "stout" or
"well-fed". That is, it is generally talking about being overweight a bit, but
not in a particularly derogatory way, but more in a "well off"/"not lacking
nourishment" sort of sense.

I think it's fairly similar to the many expressions we have in English that
might phrase being overweight in a somewhat nice-sounding way to be more
polite or kind about it ("big boned", "plump", "jolly", "stout", etc).

It's also worth noting, though, that よい/いい does not always mean "good" in a
value-judgement sort of way ("good" vs "bad"), but can often just mean "a good
amount"/"sufficient"/"substantial"/etc. So in this sense you can also
interpret「肉付きがよい」to just mean something like "a _substantial amount_ of meat
on (their) bones", etc, too.
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2022-12-23T19:11:21.720
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肉付きが良い could be used as a euphemism for fat, but by itself does not have
negative implications. (Possibly similar to _voluptuous_?)

Another example that could be used in a sarcastic way is 育ちが良い, to make fun of
someone being ignorant of things the commons should know. Similarly, 行儀が良い can
mean negatively _too good mannered_. Again, these are about how they are used,
and the words themselves just mean _well-bred_ / _good-mannered_.
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2022-12-24T00:36:32.913
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