坏处

• Pinyin: huài chù
• Hanzi breakdown: 坏 (huài) — bad, broken; 处 (chù) — place, aspect, point

Meaning

Disadvantage; harm; drawback. The negative effect or downside of something.

The opposite of 好处 (benefit). Used when discussing negative effects, harmful consequences, or downsides of an action, habit, or decision. Common in health-related and decision-making conversations.

Examples

1. 吸烟对身体有很多坏处。 Smoking has many harmful effects on the body.
2. 你想想这样做有什么坏处。 Think about what the downsides of doing this are.
3. 少睡觉的坏处很多。 There are many drawbacks to sleeping too little.

Usage Guide

Context: discussions, health, decision-making

Tone: analytical

Do Say

• 吃太多糖有坏处。(Eating too much sugar is harmful.)
• 这件事有好处也有坏处。(This matter has both advantages and disadvantages.)

Don't Say

• 不要把坏处和坏事混起来 (Don't confuse 坏处 with 坏事 — 坏处 means a disadvantage or harmful effect, while 坏事 means a bad deed)

Origin & History

Compound of 坏 (bad, broken) and 处 (place, aspect, point). Literally the 'bad aspect' of something.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal