坏 (huài): bad, broken
坏 (huài) is a Chinese character meaning “bad, broken.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 土 (semantic) and 不 (phonetic). It ranks #832 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 坏 earth. Its radical form 土 (earth) appears in many related characters such as 在 (zài, to exist), 地 (dì, earth, ground), 场 (chǎng, field, place).
Definitions
- bad, broken
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 坏 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 坏
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 坏人 | huài rén | bad person |
| 坏事 | huài shì | bad thing |
| 吓坏 | xià huài | to be terrified |
| 坏蛋 | huài dàn | bad egg |
| 坏话 | huài huà | unpleasant talk |
| 毁坏 | huǐ huài | to damage |
| 好坏 | hǎo huài | good or bad |
| 宠坏 | chǒng huài | to spoil (a child etc) |
| 败坏 | bài huài | to ruin |
| 坏死 | huài sǐ | necrosis |
| 坏东西 | huài dōng xi | bastard |
| 破坏性 | pò huài xìng | destructive |
| 使坏 | shǐ huài | to play dirty tricks |
| 气急败坏 | qì jí bài huài | flustered and exasperated |
| 坏疽 | huài jū | gangrene |
坏 appears in 70 compound words: 33 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 坏 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
feudal system collapses and rites and music deteriorate; social order collapses and morals deteriorate
feudal system collapses and rites and music deteriorate; social order collapses and morals deteriorate
Example Sentences
这台电脑坏了,需要送去维修,可能要花不少钱。
Zhè tái diànnǎo huài le, xūyào sòng qù wéixiū, kěnéng yào huā bù shǎo qián.
This computer is broken and needs to be sent for repair; it may cost quite a bit.
穿戴震动棒晚上一直穿会坏吗?这些使用注意事项要了解
chuān dài zhèn dòng bàng wǎn shàng yī zhí chuān huì huài ma ? zhè xiē shǐ yòng zhù yì shì xiàng yāo le jiě
Will wearing a vibrator all night damage it? Here are some usage precautions you should know.
钟柔美陷“A0”风波网民批人设崩坏欠公信力 詹天文11字吐真言
zhōng róu měi xiàn A 0 fēng bō wǎng mín pī rén shè bēng huài qiàn gōng xìn lì 詹 tiān wén 1 1 zì tǔ zhēn yán
Zhong Roumei was trapped in the "A0" turmoil, netizens criticized the collapse of the character design and lacked credibility, and Zhan Tianwen spoke the truth in 11 words
蔡瑞雪清纯校花形象大崩坏?橙发低胸辣照疯传 网:差点认不出来
蔡 ruì xuě qīng chún jiào huā xíng xiàng dà bēng huài ? chéng fā dī xiōng là zhào fēng chuán wǎng : chā diǎn rèn bù chū lái
Cai Ruixue's image of a pure school flower collapsed? Orange-haired low-cut spicy photos went viral on the Internet: I almost couldn't recognize it
移植心脏运送遭干冰冻坏 男童苦撑2月亡
yí zhí xīn zāng yùn sòng zāo gān bīng dòng huài nán tóng kǔ chēng yuè wáng
Transplanted Heart Damaged by Dry Ice During Transport; Boy Survives Two Months Before Passing Away
未必是坏事!南马降级成精英标 马拉松将回归体验本...
wèi bì shì huài shì ! nán mǎ jiàng jí chéng jīng yīng biāo mǎ lā sōng jiāng huí guī tǐ yàn běn . . .
Not necessarily a bad thing! Southern Marathon downgraded to elite status, returning to its experiential roots...
你知道分辨好坏吗?
Nǐ zhīdào fēnbiàn hǎohuài ma?
Do you know the difference between good and bad?
又再说妈妈的坏话了喔?
Yòu zàishuō māma de huàihuà le ō?
Talking bad about mother again, eh?
最坏的情境是什么?
Zuì huài de qíngjìng shì shénme?
What's the worst-case scenario?
你摔坏过你的眼镜吗?
Nǐ shuāihuài guo nǐ de yǎnjìng ma?
Have you ever broken your glasses?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 坏 (huài) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 坏 and 好?
How many strokes does 坏 have?
What is the radical of 坏?
What are the components of 坏?
What are common words containing 坏?
What characters sound the same as 坏 (huài)?
Is 坏 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 坏 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.