Complement "-huai le"

The degree complement -坏了 (-huài le) is a bit like the complement -死了, and can be used to mean "extremely" in both a a positive and a negative sense.

Structure

Adj. + 坏了

Examples with a Negative Connotation

  • 老板 气 坏了The boss was angry to death.
  • 我 早饭 和 中饭 都 没 吃 ,饿 坏了I didn't eat anything for breakfast or lunch. I'm starved to death.
  • 孩子 不见 了 ,妈妈 急 坏了The child is missing. The mother is worried to death.
  • 开会 开了 一 天 ,大家 都 累 坏了 了 。This meeting lasted a whole day today. Everyone was exhausted.
  • 看完 那个 恐怖 电影 ,我 吓 坏了That ghost film scared me to death.

Examples with a Positive Connotation

这类形容词非常有限。

  • 听到 这个 好 消息 ,大家 都 高兴 坏了Everyone were thrilled to hear the good news.
  • 这个 笑话 让 我们 都 乐 坏了We really got a kick out of this joke.
  • 收到 录取 通知书 ,他们 全家 都 高兴 坏了His whole family were so thrilled when he received the admission letter.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK5