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Expressing 'to scare badly' with 吓坏 (xiàhuài)
Actions & Events
Result & Consequence
Structure
Subject + 吓坏 + 了
Explanation
吓坏 (xiàhuài) is a compound verb meaning "to scare badly" or "to be terrified," combining 吓 (to scare) with the result complement 坏 (to the point of breaking down). It is often used with 了 to describe a completed state of being frightened.
Examples
那个突然出现的蛇把她吓坏了。
Nàge tūrán chūxiàn de shé bǎ tā xiàhuàile.
The snake that suddenly appeared scared her terribly.
半夜的雷声把孩子吓坏了，一直在哭。
Bànyè de léishēng bǎ háizi xiàhuàile, yīzhí zài kū.
The thunder in the middle of the night terrified the child, who kept crying.
听说发生了地震，大家都被吓坏了。
Tīngshuō fāshēngle dìzhèn, dàjiā dōu bèi xiàhuàile.
When they heard that an earthquake had occurred, everyone was terrified.