Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 糟透 | zāotòu |
| 糟糕 | zāogāo |
The words are used to describe something that is tremendously bad. 糟糕 is often used in informal situations to describe an unfortunate or negative event, while 糟透 carries a stronger sense of being completely or thoroughly bad. For exceptionally terrible situations, you might also use the informal phrase 太糟了. In serious contexts, the formal term 恶劣 (èliè) is used to refer to something extremely bad or terrible.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 糟透 consists of 糟 (zāo), meaning rotten or bad and 透 (tòu), meaning through or thoroughly.
Which one should you use?
糟透 is more emphatic than 糟糕, as it carries a stronger sense of being 'completely' or 'thoroughly' bad.
How does it change in a sentence?
In natural speech, 糟透 is often followed by the particle 了 (le) to indicate a state of being, forming 糟透了.
How do you pronounce it?
zāotòu
Did you know?
- The character 糟 in 糟糕 originally refers to fermented grains or mash used to make alcohol. It carries a connotation of being 'spoiled' or 'decayed' like old mash.
- The word 糟 is also used in the term 糟心, which specifically describes a 'horrible' feeling of being annoyed or distressed in one's heart.
- One theory suggests 糟糕 was used in Zhang Tianyi's story 'Cheng Yeheng' to describe the stress of being pressured by a landlord to pay debts.
Examples in context
- 多么糟糕的天气啊！What horrible weather.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 糟糕 to describe weather.Tatoeba #8727951 by crescat, translation #430442 by FeuDRenais
- 真糟糕！How horrible!This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 糟糕 as an exclamation.Tatoeba #5550163 by verdastelo9604, translation #1864457 by kerbear407
- 这个事故的后果非常可怕The consequences of this accident are very horrible.
- 这个地方的环境恶劣The environment in this place is horrible.
- 这个计划真是糟糕透了This plan is horribly awful.
- 这餐厅的服务态度真糟糕！The service attitude at this restaurant is really horrible!
- 这个电影太糟了，完全浪费时间This movie is horrible, a complete waste of time!
- 这家餐厅的味道糟透了。Zhè jiā cāntīng de wèidào zāo tòu le.The taste of this restaurant is horrible.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Zihan are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你觉得这部电影怎么样？Nǐ juéde zhè bù diànyǐng zěnmeyàng?What did you think of this movie?
- 梓涵 Zihan剧情简直糟透了。Jùqíng jiǎnzhí zāo tòu le.The plot was just horrible.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我也这么觉得，太浪费时间了。Wǒ yě zhème juéde, tài làngfèi shíjiān le.I think so too, it was such a waste of time.
- 梓涵 Zihan下次我们换个导演的电影。Xiàcì wǒmen huàn gè dǎoyǎn de diànyǐng.Let's pick a movie by a different director next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “horrible” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 糟糕, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
