Definition
变质 (biàn zhì) applies both to food going bad and to abstract things deteriorating (relationships, quality, situations). Compared to 恶化 (è huà), which is limited to abstract worsening (e.g., health, conditions), 变质 also covers physical spoilage. Compared to 退化 (tuì huà), which focuses on functional or biological decline, 变质 stresses a change in essential quality.
verb
(of food) to go badto spoilto degenerateto deteriorate (of relationships, situations, quality, etc.)
Easily confused
- 编织biān zhīsound-aliketo weave, knit, plait, or braid
- 编制biān zhìsound-aliketo weave; to plait
- 贬值biǎn zhísound-alike(of currency) to devalue, to depreciate
Examples
- ，变质。Niúnǎi fàng tài jiǔ le, yǐjīng biàn zhì le.The milk has been left out too long and has already gone bad.
- 变质。Zhè cì shìgù ràng tāmen de hézuò guānxì biàn zhì le.This accident caused their cooperative relationship to deteriorate.
- ，变质。Rúguǒ yuáncáiliào yǒu wèntí, chǎnpǐn róngyì biàn zhì.If the raw materials are problematic, the products will easily spoil.
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