坏

壞

huài

不 + 土

HSK 2.0Level 3

HSK 3.0Level 2

Definitions

huài (adjective) bad; broken; spoiled

huài (verb) to break down; to spoil

Etymology

Simplified form of 壞. Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 褱 represents the sound.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 不

About

坏 (huài) is the simplified form of the traditional character 壞, a phonosemantic compound in which 土 (earth) provides the meaning and 褱 (huái) the sound. Originally, 壞 described ruined or collapsed earth, and later broadened into a general adjective meaning bad, evil, damaged, or broken. The simplified form 坏 was historically a distinct character combining 土 with the phonetic 不 (bù), and it meant an unburned brick or a mound of dirt. Because of its simpler strokes, this older character was eventually borrowed to write the common senses of 壞.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的手机坏了。

Wǒ de shǒujī huàile.

My phone is broken.

天气突然变坏了。

Tiānqì túrán biàn huàile.

The weather suddenly turned bad.

他是个坏人吗？

Tā shì gè huài rén ma?

Is he a bad person?

蛋糕被放坏了。

Dàngāo bèi fàng huàile.

The cake was spoiled from being left out.

坏心情会影响健康。

Huài xīnqíng huì yǐngxiǎng jiànkāng.

Bad mood can affect health.

如果你继续这样做，事情会变得更坏。

Rúguǒ nǐ jìxù zhèyàng zuò, shìqíng huì biàn de gèng huài.

If you continue to do this, things will become worse.

这个坏消息让所有人都感到难过。

Zhège huài xiāoxī ràng suǒyǒu rén dōu gǎndào nánguò.

This bad news made everyone feel sad.

尽管环境很坏，但他们依然坚持工作。

Jǐnguǎn huánjìng hěn huài, dàn tāmen yīrán jiānchí gōngzuò.

Even though the environment is bad, they still persist in working.

Related Characters

Component: 不

Component: 土

坏