Meaning of 坏人
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- bad person
- villain
How to use 坏人
坏人 is the everyday word for a bad guy, used for criminals, villains in movies, or someone who does harm. Parents often use it when warning children. Example: 别跟坏人走。(Bié gēn huàirén zǒu.) Don't go with bad people.
坏 (huài) means bad and 人 (rén) means person, so 坏人 is simply a bad person. Think of it as the opposite of 好人 (hǎorén), a good person.
Common mistake: Learners often write 坏 with the wrong component on the left. It has 土 on the left, so don't swap it for a different radical. Also say huài with the fourth tone, falling sharply, not the third tone.
坏人 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
坏 huài · bad · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
人 rén · person · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 坏人.
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 别人 | biérén | other people; others; other person |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member; (old) servant |
| 病人 | bìngrén | sick person; patient |
| 工人 | gōngrén | worker |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup |
| 客人 | kèrén | visitor; guest; customer |
| 好人 | hǎorén | good person; healthy person |
Questions about 坏人
What does 坏人 mean?
坏人 (huàirén) means "bad person; villain" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 坏人?
坏人 is made of 2 characters: 坏 (7 strokes), 人 (2 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 坏人 an HSK word?
Yes. 坏人 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 坏人 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 坏人 is written 壞人.
Can 坏人 be used jokingly?
Yes. Friends or couples sometimes say 你是坏人 (nǐ shì huàirén) playfully when someone teases them. The tone of voice shows it is not serious.
What is the difference between 坏人 and 坏蛋?
Both mean bad person. 坏蛋 (huàidàn) sounds more casual and is often used playfully or in children's speech. 坏人 is more neutral and general.