坏

huài

bad

spoiled; broken; to break down; (suffix) to the utmost

earth (土) + phonetic (不) = bad, spoiled, broken

土 anchors the meaning: earth that has deteriorated or crumbled is ruined and bad. 不 mainly lends the sound huài; don't read it as negation here.

土+不→坏
不Not (in its own right)Phonetic
土EarthSemantic

这个苹果坏了,不能吃。

zhè ge píng guǒ huài le, bù néng chī。

This apple has gone bad, it can't be eaten.

他做了一件很坏的事,大家都不喜欢他。

tā zuò le yī jiàn hěn huài de shì, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huān tā。

He did a very bad thing, and nobody likes him.

Words with 坏

气急败坏

qì jí bài huài

flustered and exasperated

坏话

huài huà

unpleasant talk

坏脾气

huài pí qì

bad temper

变坏

biàn huài

to get worse

道德败坏

dào dé bài huài

vice

颓坏

tuí huài

dilapidated

一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥

yī lì lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu

lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of congee (idiom)

一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤

yī kē lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō tāng

lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of soup (idiom)

一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅粥

yī kē lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu

see 一粒老鼠屎壞了一鍋粥|一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥[yi1 li4 lao3 shu3 shi3 huai4 le5 yi1 guo1 zhou1]

一马勺坏一锅

yī mǎ sháo huài yī guō

one ladle (of sth bad) spoils the (whole) pot (idiom)

朽坏

xiǔ huài

rotten

使坏

shǐ huài

to play dirty tricks

More characters with 土

坚去冉啬吐周