不良
bùliáng · HSK 5
bad
🚫 不 (not) + 良 (good) = not good = bad, harmful
不 negates; 良 means good or fine quality. Together literally not-good, used for anything unhealthy or harmful. Compare 良好 (good) and 不好 (not good) — 不良 is the more formal, clinical version.
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
良 — pictograph of a covered grain hopper
良 originated as a pictograph of a funnel-shaped device used to clean or sift grain, with a top opening, central body, and bottom outlet. From this image of selecting good grain, the meaning extended to 'fine,' 'good,' or 'excellent.' The modern shape obscures the original object.