壞

简 坏 · 繁 壞
Mandarin · pinyin huài

Meanings

  1. bad
  2. spoiled
  3. broken
  4. to break down
  5. (suffix) to the utmost
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Characters in this entry

壞
Look up this written character
坏
huài · rotten, spoilt, bad, broken down
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4 · huai4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

壞 · find source passages ↗ · 坏 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 9 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

waai6

Cantonese word readings for 壞. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

  1. bad
  2. rotten; spoiled
  3. to spoil; to ruin
  4. to break; to stop working
  5. (Classical) to collapse
  6. (Classical) to demolish; to destroy
  7. bad idea; dirty trick
  8. extremely; very; highly

character · Etymology 2

  1. (Cantonese) naughty; mischievous; rebellious; disobedient

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack