How common it is
糟糕 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say zāogāo slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“糟糕”用来形容事情很不好，让人不开心。比如，考试考得不好，可以说“真糟糕”。
“Zāogāo” yònglái xíngróng shìqíng hěn bù hǎo, ràng rén bù kāixīn. Bǐrú, kǎoshì kǎo dé bù hǎo, kěyǐ shuō “zhēn zāogāo”.
“糟糕” is used to describe something very bad that makes people unhappy. For example, if you do poorly on a test, you can say “really terrible.”
Context note
当发生意外或不好的事情时，我们可以说“糟糕”。比如，打碎花瓶时，可以说：“糟糕，花瓶碎了！”
Dāng fāshēng yìwài huò bù hǎo de shìqíng shí, wǒmen kěyǐ shuō “zāogāo”. Bǐrú, dǎ suì huāpíng shí, kěyǐ shuō: “Zāogāo, huāpíng suì le!”
When an accident or bad thing happens, we can say “糟糕.” For example, when breaking a vase, you can say: “Terrible, the vase is broken!”
5 examples
糟糕，我忘记带作业了。
zāo gāo， wǒ wàng jì dài zuò yè le。
Terrible, I forgot to bring my homework.
今天的天气真糟糕，一直在下雨。
jīn tiān de tiān qì zhēn zāo gāo， yì zhí zài xià yǔ。
Today's weather is really terrible, it's been raining all the time.
糟糕，我的铅笔断了。
zāo gāo， wǒ de qiān bǐ duàn le。
Terrible, my pencil broke.
这个电影很糟糕，一点都不好看。
zhè ge diàn yǐng hěn zāo gāo， yì diǎn dōu bù hǎo kàn。
This movie is terrible, it's not good at all.
糟糕，我迟到了。
zāo gāo， wǒ chí dào le。
Terrible, I am late.
5 mini stories
小明早上起床晚了。糟糕，他上学要迟到了。
xiǎo míng zǎo shàng qǐ chuáng wǎn le。 zāo gāo， tā shàng xué yào chí dào le。
Xiaoming woke up late in the morning. Terrible, he was going to be late for school.
小红在画画时不小心打翻了颜料。糟糕，她的衣服弄脏了。
xiǎo hóng zài huà huà shí bù xiǎo xīn dǎ fān le yán liào。 zāo gāo， tā de yī fu nòng zāng le。
Xiaohong accidentally knocked over the paint while drawing. Terrible, her clothes got dirty.
小华在踢足球时摔倒了。糟糕，他的膝盖擦破了。
xiǎo huá zài tī zú qiú shí shuāi dǎo le。 zāo gāo， tā de xī gài cā pò le。
Xiaohua fell while playing soccer. Terrible, he scraped his knee.
小丽发现她的书包不见了。糟糕，她把书包忘在公园了。
xiǎo lì fā xiàn tā de shū bāo bú jiàn le。 zāo gāo， tā bǎ shū bāo wàng zài gōng yuán le。
Xiaoli found that her backpack was missing. Terrible, she left her backpack at the park.
小刚在考试时发现笔没水了。糟糕，他没法写答案了。
xiǎo gāng zài kǎo shì shí fā xiàn bǐ méi shuǐ le。 zāo gāo， tā méi fǎ xiě dá àn le。
Xiaogang found that his pen ran out of ink during the test. Terrible, he couldn't write the answers.