变质

變質

biànzhì

verb HSK 7 #13,761

Meanings

1 to deteriorate
2 to go bad
3 to degenerate
4 to spoil

Characters

quality; nature; substance

Examples

牛奶放久了会变质。

Niúnǎi fàng jiǔ le huì biànzhì.

Milk will go bad if left too long.

这些食物已经变质了，不能吃了。

Zhèxiē shíwù yǐjīng biànzhì le, bùnéng chī le.

This food has already gone bad and can't be eaten.

权力使他变质了。

Quánlì shǐ tā biànzhì le.

Power corrupted him.

Tips

usage

变质 is used both literally for food spoilage and figuratively for moral corruption or degeneration of character, especially when someone in power becomes corrupt.

Stroke Order

变 biàn

质 zhì