弊

Denotes decay or dysfunction, ranging from a material state of being worn out to institutional or moral rot.

• Institutional/Systemic: Malpractice, structural flaws, corruption, or "loopholes"; a system perverted from its original purpose.
• Material/Physical: Dilapidated, exhausted, or worn out (similar to 敝).
• Moral/Personal: A corrupt nature or compromised character. In this sense, it describes the quality of being corrupt rather than a specific legal transgression.

Primarily used as a noun (a flaw, a corruption) or an adjective (corrupt, dilapidated). It is rarely used as a transitive verb; it typically describes a state that exists or is discovered.

• vs. 惡: Whereas 惡 often implies active malice or theological evil, 弊 refers to the "badness" of decay and dysfunction.
• vs. 罪: A distinction between condition and act. 弊 describes the systemic rot or flaw (the condition), while 罪 refers to a specific transgression or legal crime (the act).

Related to 敝 ("worn out"). Semantic variant: U+21681.