害

• Physical and abstract damage: to injure, wound, or destroy; detriment, disadvantage, or calamity.
• Obstruction: a blockage, impediment, or disruption of flow/function that prevents progress.

Functions as a transitive verb (to harm/obstruct), a noun (a harm/obstacle), or attributively to describe something as harmful or detrimental.

Compared to similar terms for injury or loss: 傷 specifically implies rupture, wounds, or emotional heartbreak; 損 implies diminution, attrition, or a reduction in value or quantity. 害 is broader and generally more malignant, often referring to the force causing the damage rather than a simple loss of part.

Fanqie reading: 胡蓋; Tang-period reading: *hɑ̀i.

While often glossed as "kill," this glyph is rarely used as a technical term for murder or execution (such as 殺). In most contexts, death is the result of the harm rather than the primary definition. Exercise caution when translating as "murder" unless the surrounding text explicitly confirms a lethal outcome.