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坏蛋 (huài dàn) — (colloquial, derogatory) scoundrel; bastard

Definition

Colloquial, somewhat childish insult ('bad egg') for a villain or scoundrel. Softer and more jokey than 混蛋 (stronger curse) — fits casual speech, not formal writing.

noun
(colloquial, derogatory) scoundrelbastard
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 坏蛋，。
    Tā zhēn shì gè huài dàn, piàn zǒu le wǒ de qián.
    He's such a scoundrel; he swindled my money away.
  • 坏蛋。
    Diàn yǐng lǐ de nà ge huài dàn zuì hòu bèi zhuā zhù le.
    That bastard in the movie was caught in the end.
  • 坏蛋，。
    Bié jiào tā huài dàn, tā qí shí méi nà me huài.
    Don't call him a bastard — he's actually not that bad.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

坏huàibad
蛋dànegg

Bad plus egg gives a derogatory image for a scoundrel.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 壞; 坏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
褱
褱huái壞huài
Same sound today

For the traditional form 壞, 土 (earth) is the meaning part and 褱 supplies the sound; earth is used because something that rots eventually becomes earth. This is about 壞, not the simplified 坏.

Open 坏 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
虫虫chóngsnake, insect
Sound part声符shēngfú
延
延yán蛋dàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 蛋, the lower part 虫 is a snake or insect, and the upper part is a shortened 延 giving the sound for 'egg'.

Open 蛋 →
Appears in
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