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March 24, 2026
坏(壞)huài(huai4)
The character 坏 (huài) primarily means 'bad' or 'spoiled', and is often used to describe something that is in poor condition or damaged. It can also refer to a person's behavior or moral character. In various contexts, it can convey a sense of something being defective or undesirable.
Strokes7Radical土Frequency#433DifficultyEasy
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, the notion of 'bad' extends beyond physical objects to include moral implications; for example, someone with 坏习惯 (bad habits) is often seen as needing to improve their character.
Memory Tip
Imagine a 'bad' apple that is '坏' (huài) – it looks rotten and is no longer good to eat. The character 坏 has a 'broken' base (坏) and a 'shelter' radical (土) on top, suggesting something that is not quite right or spoiled underneath its surface.
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AI Study Notes for 坏
Quick Contrast
坏 (huài) vs 差 (chà) — use 坏 when referring to something that is damaged or spoiled, while 差 emphasizes poor quality or inferiority.
Memory Mnemonic
Imagine a 'bad' apple that is '坏' (huài) – it looks rotten and is no longer good to eat. The character 坏 has a 'broken' base (坏) and a 'shelter' radical (土) on top, suggesting something that is not quite right or spoiled underneath its surface.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to confuse 坏 (huài) with 好 (hǎo), which means 'good'. Common phrases include 坏事 (bad things) and 坏习惯 (bad habits). The tone is important; mispronouncing it can change the meaning.
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK Level 3 word, 坏 connects well with other adjectives and verbs describing conditions, such as 好 (good) and 破 (broken). Focus on using it in common expressions to describe objects or situations.
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, the notion of 'bad' extends beyond physical objects to include moral implications; for example, someone with 坏习惯 (bad habits) is often seen as needing to improve their character.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 坏 (huài) with other similar-sounding words. For example, saying '我坏了' (wǒ huài le) when trying to say 'I am good' instead of '我很好' (wǒ hěn hǎo) can lead to misunderstandings.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 坏
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Grammar Patterns of 坏
坏 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 6 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
坏 (huài) means 'bad', while 还 (hái) means 'still' or 'also'.
1
这件衣服坏了。 (This piece of clothing is broken.) vs. 这件衣服还好。 (This piece of clothing is still good.)
坏 (huài) means 'bad', while 还 (hái) means 'still' or 'also'.
💡坏 has a broken heart (坏) while 还 has a wave (还) indicating something is still there.
Example Sentences for 坏 (10)
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1
亚当蹒跚而行，沿路留下毁坏的痕迹。
yà dāng pán shān ér háng， ， yán lù liú xià huǐ huài de hén。
Adam stumbles on, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.
2
你不该总是为了做到尽善尽美而累坏自己。
nǐ bù gāi zǒng shì wéi le zuò dào jìn shàn jìn měi ér léi huài zì jǐ。
You shouldn't always have to kill yourself to do well.
3
人们认为这些袭击是为了故意破坏会谈。
rén mén rèn wéi zhè xiē xí jī shì wéi le gù yì pò huài huì tán。
These attacks are seen as an effort to torpedo the talks.
4
生意不景气也未必全是坏事。
shēng yì bù jǐng qì yě wèi bì quán shì huài shì。
Some good might come of all this gloomy business.
5
好几十英里的铁轨被毁坏了。
hǎo jī shí yīng lǐ de tiě guǐ bèi huǐ huài le。
Dozens of miles of railway track have been torn up.
6
当我意识到自己的所作所为时，我吓坏了。
dāng wǒ yì shí dào zì jǐ de suǒ zuò suǒ wéi shí， ， wǒ xià huài。
I was scared stiff when I realized what I'ddone.
7
说真的，我当时吓坏了。
shuō zhēn de， ， wǒ dāng shí xià huài。
I don't mind telling you I was absolutely terrified.
8
这暴露了以长久的环境破坏为代价换取短期工业利益的错误。
zhè bào lòu le yǐ cháng jiǔ de huán jìng pò huài wéi dài jià huàn qǔ duǎn qī gōng yè lì yì de cuò wù。
It exposes the fallacy of short-term industrial gain at long-term environmental expense.
9
法官认为他已经被那些年长的孩子们带坏了。
fǎ guān rèn wéi tā yǐ jīng bèi nà xiē nián cháng de hái zǐ mén dài huài le。
The judge thought he'd been led astray by older children.
10
其中一位新闻记者询问是否有人为破坏的可能性。
qí zhōng yī wèi xīn wén jì zhě xún wèn shì fǒu yǒu rén wéi pò huài de kě néng xìng。
One of the journalists queried whether sabotage could have been involved.
Cultural Notes for 坏
💡Did you know?
在中文中，‘坏’不仅表示坏的事物，还可以形容人的性格。例如，‘坏人’意味着‘坏蛋’或‘恶人’。
🏮Cultural insight
In Chinese culture, the notion of 'bad' extends beyond physical objects to include moral implications; for example, someone with 坏习惯 (bad habits) is often seen as needing to improve their character.
Word Family of 坏
Words Containing This Character20
坏huàibad壞
破坏pòhuàidamage破壞
坏人huàirénbad person壞人
坏事huàishìbad thing壞事
坏了shoot!壞了
吓坏to be really frightened嚇壞
损坏sǔnhuàito damage損壞
坏蛋bad egg壞蛋
坏死necrosis壞死
好坏hǎohuàigood or bad好壞
坏话unpleasant talk壞話
毁坏huǐhuàito damage毀壞
坏处huàichùharm壞處
败坏bàihuàito ruin敗壞
破坏性destructive破壞性
宠坏to spoil (a child etc)寵壞
气急败坏flustered and exasperated氣急敗壞
坏东西bastard壞東西
弄坏to ruin弄壞
带坏to lead astray帶壞
Exercise 1 of 4
Compound Meaning
What does 坏 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 坏
The opposite of 坏 (huài) is 好 (hǎo), which means 'good'. While 坏 is used to describe something negative, 好 describes something positive or well. Understanding this contrast can help learners express various qualities more effectively.
Yes, 坏 (huài) can be used as a verb meaning 'to break down' or 'to spoil'. For instance, you can say '这台机器坏了' (zhè tái jīqì huài le), meaning 'This machine broke down'. It emphasizes the action of something becoming 'bad' or 'broken'.
坏 (huài) means 'bad' or 'spoiled' in Chinese. It can also refer to something that is broken or has broken down. Additionally, it can be used as a suffix to indicate something done to the utmost degree, such as in the phrase '坏透了' (huài tòu le), meaning 'extremely bad'.
To use 坏 (huài) in a sentence, you can say '这个苹果坏了' (zhè ge píngguǒ huài le), which means 'This apple is spoiled'. Another example is '他的车坏了' (tā de chē huài le), meaning 'His car is broken'. It is versatile and can describe both objects and abstract qualities.
You can say '这个水果坏了' (zhège shuǐguǒ huài le), which means 'This fruit is spoiled.'
The opposite is 好 (hǎo), meaning 'good.'
Yes, it can describe a person's character, like in 坏人 (huài rén), meaning 'bad person.'
