坏 (huài) — bad (of people or things); broken, spoiled, out of order; (complement after verbs/adjectives) extremely, to the utmost
Definition
坏 (huài) is the basic everyday word for 'bad' or 'broken' — used for people, things, and food. As a complement after a verb/adjective (e.g. 累坏了), it means 'extremely' or 'to death'. Less specific than 破 (damaged/torn) or 烂 (rotten/worn out).
adjective
bad (of people or things)brokenspoiledout of order(complement after verbs/adjectives) extremelyto the utmost
Examples
- 坏，。Zhè ge píng guǒ huài le, bù néng chī le.This apple has gone bad; you can't eat it.
- 坏，。Wǒ de shǒu jī huài le, yào mǎi yí gè xīn de.My phone is broken; I need to buy a new one.
- ，坏。Jīn tiān gōng zuò tài duō le, wǒ lèi huài le.I had too much work today; I'm exhausted.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
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.
Grammar
Appears in
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