坏了 (complement of extremity)

• Pinyin: huài le
• Formation: Adj. / Psychological Verb + 坏了
• Hanzi breakdown: 坏 = 土 (earth) + 不 (not) — simplified from 壞

Meaning

The complement 坏了 (huài le) is placed after an adjective or psychological verb to express an extreme degree, meaning 'extremely' or 'terribly.' It conveys that the feeling or state has reached an unbearable or overwhelming level.

坏了 as a degree complement is highly colloquial and expressive. It differs from its literal meaning of 'broken' — in this usage, it functions purely as an intensifier similar to 极了 or 死了 but with a more informal, emotionally charged tone. It most naturally pairs with adjectives describing negative feelings (累坏了, 急坏了, 饿坏了, 吓坏了) but can also appear with positive emotions for dramatic effect (乐坏了, 高兴坏了). The pattern always requires 了 after 坏 — using 坏 alone as a complement without 了 sounds incomplete. Compared to 死了 (which is even more colloquial and hyperbolic), 坏了 is slightly milder but still informal. Neither should appear in formal writing.

Examples

1. 连续加班一个月，他整个人都累坏了。 After working overtime for a whole month straight, he was completely exhausted.
2. 孩子走丢了，妈妈急坏了。 The child went missing, and the mother was worried sick.
3. 一天没吃东西，我快饿坏了。 Having not eaten all day, I was starving.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, everyday

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 突然停电把正在做实验的学生们吓坏了。
• 等了两个小时的公交车，大家都冻坏了。
• 他升职的消息一传开，同事们都羡慕坏了。

Don't Say

• 这道题很坏了难。 (坏了 is a complement that follows the adjective, not a modifier placed before it — the adjective comes first, then 坏了) → 这道题难坏了。
• 报告中数据的偏差让领导担心坏了。 (坏了 is too colloquial for formal contexts — use 非常, 十分, or 极为 in written reports) → 报告中数据的偏差让领导十分担心。
• 那栋楼高坏了。 (坏了 pairs with emotions and physical sensations, not objective measurements — 高 as a physical dimension cannot take 坏了) → 那栋楼非常高。

Origin & History

坏 originally means 'broken' or 'spoiled.' Its extension into a degree complement follows the Chinese tendency to use concrete damage metaphors for emotional extremity — being so tired or scared that one is figuratively 'broken' by the feeling.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal