(máo bìng) - fault, defect, something wrong; a bad habit in Mandarin
máobìngTraditional: 毛病
Translation
fault, defect, something wrong; a bad habit
Word origin
Literally 毛 (máo, hair, fine down) plus 病 (bìng, illness), the image being a flaw as small as a hair. The term is said to come from horse trading, where a defect in the coat marked a lesser animal.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 毛 (máo, hair) + 病 (bìng, illness)
Stroke order
毛
病
Examples
。
This machine has gone wrong again.
。
He has a bad habit of turning up late.
，。
The fault with the car was minor and it was soon put right.
。
Stop picking holes in everything I do.
胃。
There is something slightly wrong with my stomach.
毛病 (máo bìng) is the everyday word for something being wrong. It stretches across three areas English keeps apart: a fault in a machine (机器出毛病了), a minor complaint in the body (老毛病又犯了) and a bad habit in a person (改掉这个毛病).
The verbs it keeps company with are worth learning as a set. 出毛病 is for a fault developing, 有毛病 for one being present, 挑毛病 for finding fault in others, and 犯毛病 for a recurring problem flaring up again.
The trap is how insulting 你有毛病吧 is. Word for word it reads as do you have a problem, but in practice it means something closer to what is wrong with you, and it is a real slap. When you want the neutral sense of a problem to be solved, use 问题 instead: 这个问题我们可以解决.
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毛病: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "毛病" (fault, defect, something wrong; a bad habit): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 59.