气急败坏 (qì jí bài huài) — flustered and exasperated; utterly discomfited; in a fit of angry frustration

Definition

A vivid idiom describing someone who is so angry and flustered they've lost composure — stronger than 生气 and often implies shouting or irrational behavior.

idiom
flustered and exasperatedutterly discomfitedin a fit of angry frustration

Examples

  • 气急败坏,。
    Tā tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi hòu qì jí bài huài, dà shēng zé mà qǐ lái.
    After hearing the news, he flew into a rage and started cursing loudly.
  • ,气急败坏。
    Miàn duì shī bài, tā qì jí bài huài dì shuāi mén ér qù.
    Faced with failure, he slammed the door and left in a furious huff.
  • 气急败坏。
    Lǎo bǎn qì jí bài huài dì pī píng le suǒ yǒu yuán gōng.
    The boss, utterly exasperated, criticized all the employees.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

气急hurried anger
气qìanger急jíhurried
主谓Subject + predicate
败坏ruined
败bàiruined坏huàibad
联合Coordinate

The 气急 portion describes hurried anger, and 败坏 adds the sense of ruin and disorder.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí急jí
Same sound today

急 pairs 心 (heart) with 及, which gives the sound.

Open 急 →

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 敗; 败 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūstrike
Sound part声符shēngfú
貝
貝bèi敗bài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敗 has 貝 as the sound component and 攴 (written 攵) meaning strike. The simplified 败 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 败 →

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 →

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