损坏
sǔn huài · HSK 7
to damage
🛠️💥 损 (loss, harm) + 坏 (bad, broken) = make something break = to damage
损 means loss or harm; 坏 means bad or broken. Together they describe something being harmed into a broken state. Note 坏 huài is the same 坏 as in 坏了 (it broke).
损 — hand 扌 + 员 (yuán, phonetic)
损 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning of an action done by hand, while 员 supplies the sound. Originally it referred to reducing or diminishing something by hand, which broadened to the modern senses of 'damage,' 'loss,' and 'harm.'
坏 — earth 土 + 不 (not)
A modern simplified form. The left side 土 (earth) suggests something physical or material, while the right side 不 (not/negative) acts as a semantic hint meaning 'not good.' The traditional form 壞 used 褱 as a phonetic component, but the simplified 坏 reuses an older variant character.