Chinese word

坏人

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuài rén

Meaning

  • nounbad person

Example

他不是坏人，只是做错了事。tā bú shì huài rén zhǐ shì zuò cuò liǎo shì

He isn't a bad person; he just did something wrong.

Illustration for 坏人 (bad person)

More examples

警察抓到了坏人。jǐng chá zhuā dào le huài rén

The police caught a bad person.

Core concept

A human being marked by harmful actions, bad character, or serious moral wrongdoing.

Common phrases

  • 是坏人shì huài rén

    be a bad person

  • 抓坏人zhuā huài rén

    catch bad people

Similar words

坏蛋huài dàn: A bad person described in an everyday, mildly blaming way because of poor behavior or character.
罪犯zuì fàn: Someone who has carried out an act recognized as a crime by criminal law.
恶人è rén: A bad person with a harmful intention toward others or their interests.

Definition in Chinese

指做坏事、伤害他人或者违背道德规范的人。zhǐ zuò huài shì shāng hài tā rén huò zhě wéi bèi dào dé guī fàn de rén

Word origin

坏 (huài, "bad") can describe something damaged or poor in quality, and with 人 (rén, "person") it extends that negative idea to a person.

Usage tips

  • 坏人 (huàirén, "bad person") is stronger than a description of someone who is merely careless or mistaken, so it makes a broad judgment about the person's conduct.

Other meanings

  • bad guynoun
  • villainnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word