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糟糕 (zāo gāo) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 5

糟糕 (zāo gāo) is a Chinese word: terrible. This page shows its pinyin, translation, example sentences, character breakdown, decomposition, and HSK level.

Meaning of 糟糕

形 xíng adjective

terrible

糟糕，我忘记带钱包了！

zāo gāo wǒ wàng jì dài qián bāo le

Oh no, I forgot to bring my wallet!

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Word breakdown

糟 zāo — bad, poor (originally 'dregs')

Words with this character (3)
  • 1 乱七八糟 luàn qī bā zāo — messy; in a mess; chaotic HSK 7
    • 乱 chaos; disorder
    • 七 seven (used idiomatically with 八 to suggest randomness)
    • 八 eight (used idiomatically with 七 to suggest randomness)
    • 糟 terrible; in a mess; bad condition
    Example

    他的房间乱七八糟的，到处都是衣服。

    tā de fáng jiān luàn qī bā zāo de dào chù dōu shì yī fu

    His room is a mess, with clothes everywhere.

  • 2 糟粕 zāo pò — dross, worthless remnants HSK 7
    • 糟 dregs, lees (from brewing)
    • 粕 sediment, residue (from processing)
    Example

    我们应该批判地继承传统文化，去其糟粕，取其精华。

    wǒ men yīng gāi pī pàn de jì chéng chuán tǒng wén huà qù qí zāo pò qǔ qí jīng huá

    We should critically inherit traditional culture, removing its dross and keeping its essence.

  • 3 糟蹋 zāo tà — to waste; to ruin; to spoil HSK 7
    • 糟 waste; spoil (contributes the sense of making something bad or wasted)
    • 蹋 trample; damage (contributes the sense of rough treatment or destruction)
    Example

    不要糟蹋粮食。

    bù yào zāo tà liáng shi

    Don't waste food.

糕 gāo — intensifies the negative meaning

Words with this character (2)
  • 1 蛋糕 dàn gāo — cake HSK 3
    • 蛋 egg (indicating egg-based ingredient)
    • 糕 cake/pastry (baked flour-based food)
    Example

    我喜欢吃生日蛋糕。

    wǒ xǐ huan chī shēng rì dàn gāo

    I like to eat birthday cake.

  • 2 雪糕 xuě gāo — ice cream bar HSK 5
    • 雪 snow; refers to the frozen, icy nature of the dessert
    • 糕 cake; refers to it being a sweet confection or food product
    Example

    夏天我最喜欢吃雪糕。

    xià tiān wǒ zuì xǐ huan chī xuě gāo

    In summer, I like eating ice cream bars the most.

Structure & writing
1 糟 zāo — dregs left over from brewing wine

糟 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

1.1 米 mǐ — husked grain; esp. husked rice
米 is a component in 26 characters
HSK 3
料 liào to look after; to manage 糕 gāo cake or pastry made from rice flour or wheat flour, e.g. 年糕, 蜂糕, 蛋糕 糖 táng carbohydrate (organic compound class including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides)
HSK 4
断 duàn to break into two or more pieces (of something long) 粗 cū thick in diameter (opposite of 细) 精 jīng essence; the purest part of a substance 迷 mí unable to distinguish; lost the ability to discern or judge
HSK 5
类 lèi kind; category; a group of similar things 粮 liáng grain; food crops (cereals, legumes, tubers, etc.) 糊 hú porridge; gruel 糟 zāo dregs left over from brewing wine
HSK 6
粉 fěn fine powder 粒 lì small round or tiny fragment-shaped object 粘 zhān to stick together or adhere to something 粥 zhōu porridge; congee (semi-liquid food made by boiling grains) 粽 zòng sticky rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves
HSK 7
奥 ào southwest corner of a house in ancient times; inner recess of a room 屎 shǐ feces; excrement 璨 càn (lit.) fine jade 眯 mī to squint; to narrow the eyes 籽 zǐ seeds of certain plants
Show more HSK 7 characters (+5)
粕 pò dregs left over from brewing wine 粪 fèn feces; excrement 粹 cuì pure; unmixed 糙 cāo brown rice; unhulled rice with bran intact 麟 lín (lit.) qilin (mythical creature resembling a large deer with horns and scales)
1.2 曹 cáo — class, generation, group of people
曹 is a component in 4 characters
HSK 5
糟 zāo dregs left over from brewing wine
HSK 6
遭 zāo to encounter (misfortune or adversity)
HSK 7
嘈 cáo noisy; clamorous 槽 cáo trough (rectangular container with raised sides and a sunken middle, used for feed, water, or wine; especially a feed trough for livestock)

Stroke order

2 糕 gāo — cake or pastry made from rice flour or wheat flour, e.g. 年糕, 蜂糕, 蛋糕

糕 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

2.1 米 mǐ — husked grain; esp. husked rice
米 is a component in 26 characters
HSK 3
料 liào to look after; to manage 糕 gāo cake or pastry made from rice flour or wheat flour, e.g. 年糕, 蜂糕, 蛋糕 糖 táng carbohydrate (organic compound class including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides)
HSK 4
断 duàn to break into two or more pieces (of something long) 粗 cū thick in diameter (opposite of 细) 精 jīng essence; the purest part of a substance 迷 mí unable to distinguish; lost the ability to discern or judge
HSK 5
类 lèi kind; category; a group of similar things 粮 liáng grain; food crops (cereals, legumes, tubers, etc.) 糊 hú porridge; gruel 糟 zāo dregs left over from brewing wine
HSK 6
粉 fěn fine powder 粒 lì small round or tiny fragment-shaped object 粘 zhān to stick together or adhere to something 粥 zhōu porridge; congee (semi-liquid food made by boiling grains) 粽 zòng sticky rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves
HSK 7
奥 ào southwest corner of a house in ancient times; inner recess of a room 屎 shǐ feces; excrement 璨 càn (lit.) fine jade 眯 mī to squint; to narrow the eyes 籽 zǐ seeds of certain plants
Show more HSK 7 characters (+5)
粕 pò dregs left over from brewing wine 粪 fèn feces; excrement 粹 cuì pure; unmixed 糙 cāo brown rice; unhulled rice with bran intact 麟 lín (lit.) qilin (mythical creature resembling a large deer with horns and scales)
2.2 羊 yáng — sheep or goat (mammal with horns, including domestic breeds like sheep and goats, and wild species like gazelles and antelopes; wool, hide, bone, and horn used as industrial materials; meat and milk edible)
羊 is a component in 20 characters
HSK 1
样 yàng shape; appearance; state of affairs
HSK 2
着 zhuó to wear (clothing)
HSK 3
养 yǎng to provide for; to support financially 差 chā mistake; error 糕 gāo cake or pastry made from rice flour or wheat flour, e.g. 年糕, 蜂糕, 蛋糕 鲜 xiān freshly slaughtered or harvested; not stored for a long time
HSK 4
洋 yáng ocean (the vast body of salt water covering about 70% of Earth's surface, divided into four parts: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans) 美 měi beautiful; good-looking (opposite of "丑") 羞 xiū feel embarrassed; be bashful; shy 羡 xiàn to envy, to admire and desire 详 xiáng detailed and thorough (opposite of 略)
HSK 5
善 shàn kind; benevolent; charitable (opposite of 恶) 盖 gài lid; cover (placed on top of an object) 群 qún a group of people or things gathered together
HSK 6
氧 yǎng oxygen (chemical element, symbol O, atomic number 8) 痒 yǎng itchy; an itching sensation on the skin 祥 xiáng auspicious; fortunate
HSK 7
姜 jiāng ginger plant (perennial herb with lance-shaped leaves and yellow-green flowers, rarely blooming) 漾 yàng ripple on the water surface 翔 xiáng to soar with wings spread, glide in circles
2.3 灬 huǒ — fire radical
灬 is a component in 18 characters
HSK 1
点 diǎn a small drop of liquid; droplet 热 rè hot; high in temperature (opposite of 'cold')
HSK 2
然 rán (lit.) correct; right
HSK 3
照 zhào (of light) shine on an object 熊 xióng bear (large mammal with short tail, thick limbs, and hooked claws) 糕 gāo cake or pastry made from rice flour or wheat flour, e.g. 年糕, 蜂糕, 蛋糕
HSK 4
熟 shú ripe (of fruit or crops, opposite of '生')
HSK 5
烈 liè intense, strong, powerful (of concentration, force, momentum, etc.) 煮 zhǔ to boil or cook (food) in water over heat 熬 áo to cook grain etc. in water into a paste or porridge
HSK 6
杰 jié a person of outstanding talent 焦 jiāo scorched, charred (dried out by heat, turning yellowish-black, hard and brittle)
HSK 7
烹 pēng cooking method: stir briefly in hot oil, then add soy sauce and seasonings, and dish up immediately 煎 jiān to pan-fry (cook in a small amount of oil until surface is browned) 熙 xī (lit.) bright, radiant 燕 yàn swallow (bird with small body, long pointed wings, and forked tail) 蒸 zhēng to evaporate; (of liquid) to heat up and rise as vapor
Show more HSK 7 characters (+1)
遮 zhē to block from view; to obscure

Stroke order