Definition
糟蹋 (zāo tà) means to waste, ruin, or insult — it covers careless squandering of resources, damaging things/health, and trampling on someone's kindness. Unlike 破坏 (pò huài) 'destroy' or 摧毁 (cuī huǐ) 'demolish', 糟蹋 emphasizes misuse or disrespect rather than physical force; unlike 侮辱 (wǔ rǔ) 'insult', it focuses on the act of spoiling rather than the verbal humiliation.
verb
to wasteto squander (resources, opportunities, food, etc.)to ruinto damageto wreck (things, health, reputation)to insultto defileto trample on (someone's kindness, dignity)
Examples
- 糟蹋，。Bié zāo tà zìjǐ de jiànkāng, shǎo áoyè.Don't ruin your health; stay up less.
- 糟蹋，。Tā hē zuì le jiù zāo tà dōngxi, dǎsuì le hěn duō wǎn.When he's drunk, he wrecks things and breaks a lot of bowls.
- 糟蹋。Nǐ zhèyàng shuōhuà shì zài zāo tà tā de hǎoyì.Talking like this is insulting her good intentions.
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