Complement of degree 1: 坏了
Meaning
坏了 (huài le) is placed after an adjective to show that the degree of a condition is extremely high.
It often expresses:
a high degree;
a strong emotional reaction;
exaggeration;
usually a negative or unpleasant situation.
Depending on the context, it can be translated as:
extremely / terribly / very / incredibly / so much
Basic Structure
Adjective + 坏了
For example:
忙坏了máng huài leextremely busy / terribly busy
累坏了lèi huài leextremely tired / exhausted
渴坏了kě huài leextremely thirsty
热坏了rè huài leterribly hot / suffering badly from the heat
Here, 坏了 does NOT literally mean “became bad.” It works as an intensifier, emphasizing that the degree is very high.
Examples
我这几天忙坏了
忙 → busy
忙坏了 → extremely busy / terribly busy
The speaker is emphasizing that they have been very busy.
我渴坏了，哪里能买水？
渴 → thirsty
渴坏了 → extremely thirsty / terribly thirsty
这几天非常忙，大家都累坏了
累 → tired
累坏了 → extremely tired / exhausted
Remember
Adjective + 坏了 = extremely + adjective/state
This structure is especially common with negative, unpleasant, or physically/emotionally intense states.
忙坏了máng huài leextremely busy
累坏了lèi huài leexhausted
渴坏了kě huài leextremely thirsty
热坏了rè huài leterribly hot / suffering from the heat
Important!
Do not translate 坏了 literally as “bad” in this grammar pattern.
For example:
我累坏了
❌ “I became bad tired.”
✅ “I'm exhausted.”
Quick Formula
Adjective + 坏了
→ extremely / terribly + adjective or state
累坏了lèi huài leexhausted
忙坏了máng huài leextremely busy
渴坏了kě huài leextremely thirsty