The word "坏东西" is formed by combining the character 坏 (huài), meaning "bad", with the compound 东西 (dōngxi), which functions as a single unit meaning "thing" or "object". This creates a literal meaning of "bad thing", where 坏 modifies 东西 to specify a negative quality, typically referring to an undesirable object or, colloquially, a person of bad character.