腐败
fǔbài · HSK 7
corrupt
🥀 腐 = rot/decay + 败 = defeated/ruined; together: rotten and ruined
腐 (fǔ) means rot or decay (also in 豆腐 dòufu, bean-curd). 败 (bài) means defeated or ruined. Stacking decay onto ruin gives both literal rot (food, wood) and the moral sense of corruption.
败 — shell 贝 + strike 攵 (rap/tap)
Originally written with 鼎 (cauldron) plus 攴/攵 (a hand striking), depicting a vessel being smashed — hence 'ruined, defeated.' The 鼎 element was later simplified to 贝 (shell/money), giving the modern form 败. The core meaning shifted from physical breakage to losing, failure, and decay.