一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥 yī lì lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. a piece of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of congee (idiom)
  2. fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch

CHARACTERS

一 yī
HSK 1
one; a, an; alone
粒 lì
HSK 6
grain; small particle
老 lǎo
HSK 1
old, aged; experienced
鼠 shǔ
HSK 5
rat, mouse; KangXi radical 208
屎 shǐ excrement, shit, dung
坏 huài
HSK 3
rotten, spoilt, bad, broken down
了 le
HSK 1
to finish; particle of completed action
一 yī
HSK 1
one; a, an; alone
锅 guō
HSK 5
cooking-pot, saucepan
粥 zhōu
HSK 6
rice gruel, congee