About
The character "坏", now meaning "bad" or "spoiled", is the modern simplified form of the traditional character "壞". The original character "壞" was constructed from the semantic component 土 (earth, soil) and a phonetic component which also carried connotations of wrapping or enclosing, suggesting its earliest meaning was the collapse or ruin of an earthen wall or embankment. This concrete sense of physical destruction or disintegration naturally extended into more abstract applications, referring to things breaking down, deteriorating, or becoming ruined, and eventually took on a strong moral dimension to describe corrupt character or evil deeds. The simplified form "坏" repurposed a much older, separate character that originally meant an earthen mound, effectively creating a new, distinct character for "bad" by borrowing its form and discarding its original, obscure meaning.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的手机坏了。
天气突然变坏了。
他是个坏人吗？
蛋糕被放坏了。
坏心情会影响健康。
如果你继续这样做，事情会变得更坏。
这个坏消息让所有人都感到难过。
尽管环境很坏，但他们依然坚持工作。