一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤 yī kē lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō tāng

fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

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

Characters

Character Meaning
一 yī HSK 1
one; 1; single
颗 kē HSK 5
measure word for small round things
老 lǎo HSK 1
old (of people)
鼠 shǔ HSK 5
mouse; rat
屎 shǐ
feces; stool; nasal mucus
坏 huài HSK 3
bad; broken; to break down
了 le HSK 1
(completed action marker)
一 yī HSK 1
one; 1; single
锅 guō HSK 5
pot; pan; boiler
汤 tāng HSK 4
soup; hot or boiling water