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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'bad' with 糟 (zāo)

    Description & Modification

    Structure

    Subject + 糟 / 糟糕

    Explanation

    糟 (zāo) means bad, terrible, or in a mess, describing a situation or condition that has gone wrong. It is often used in exclamations like 糟了 or 糟糕 to express dismay or frustration.

    Examples

    • 糟了，我把钥匙忘在办公室了！

      Zāo le, wǒ bǎ yàoshi wàng zài bàngōngshì le!

      Oh no, I left my keys at the office!

    • 今天的考试考得很糟，好多题都不会。

      Jīntiān de kǎoshì kǎo de hěn zāo, hǎo duō tí dōu bú huì.

      Today's exam went terribly — there were so many questions I couldn't answer.

    • 天气太糟糕了，我们还是别出去了。

      Tiānqì tài zāogāo le, wǒmen háishi bié chūqù le.

      The weather is terrible — let's just not go out.

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    Expressing 'bad' with 糟 (zāo) | Chinese Grammar