一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥

Traditional form:

一粒老鼠屎壞了一鍋粥

Pinyin (reading):

yīlìlǎoshǔshǐhuàileyīguōzhōu

Definitions:

• lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of congee (idiom)
• fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch

Characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 粒 - grain, granule; bullet, pellet
• 老 - old, aged; experienced
• 鼠 - rat, mouse
• 屎 - stool, feces, dung
• 坏 - bad, rotten, spoiled; to break down
• 了 - clear; to finish; particle of completed action
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 锅 - cooking-pot, saucepan
• 粥 - porridge, gruel, congee

Traditional characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 粒 - grain, granule; bullet, pellet
• 老 - old, aged; experienced
• 鼠 - rat, mouse
• 屎 - stool, feces, dung
• 壞 - bad, rotten, spoiled; to break down
• 了 - clear; to finish; particle of completed action
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 鍋 - cooking-pot, saucepan
• 粥 - porridge, gruel, congee