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
Easily confused
- 环huánlook-alike(noun) ring, hoop, loop, link (of a chain)
- 塌tālook-aliketo collapse (of structures, etc.)
- 怀huáilook-alike(noun) bosom, chest
- 场chǎnglook-alike(classifier) used for performances, sports matches, and other public events
- 还háilook-alikestill, yet (indicating continuation or that something hasn't happened)
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.
Grammar
Appears in
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