بدی

What it means

بدی (badi) is the abstract noun formed from the adjective بد (bad), meaning bad or evil. The suffix ی- (-i) is one of the most productive nominalizing suffixes in Persian, turning adjectives into abstract nouns: خوب (khub, good) becomes خوبی (khubi, goodness), بد (bad, bad) becomes بدی (badi, badness or wrongdoing). بدی covers a range of meanings: the general quality of being bad, a specific act of wrongdoing or meanness toward another person, and in phrases like بدی داره (badi dâre) it means there is something problematic about it. The verb phrase بدی کردن (badi kardan) means to wrong someone or treat them badly, often in a personal, relational sense rather than a grand moral one. The opposite pair خوبی و بدی (khubi o badi) is a fixed expression meaning good and evil or the good and bad of something.

How to use it

• بدی کردی باهام (badi kardi bâham) “You wronged me / you treated me badly.”
• خوبی و بدیش رو در نظر بگیر (khubi o badi-sh ro dar nazar begir) “Consider the pros and cons of it.”
• من که بدی نکردم (man ke badi nakardam) “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
• بدی داره این کار (badi dâre in kâr) “There is a problem with this thing / this has its downsides.”

Cultural note

In Persian ethical discourse, the paired phrase خوبی و بدی is nearly as fundamental as its English equivalent “good and evil.” Iranian children are taught from an early age through poetry, proverbs, and religious instruction to recognize and avoid بدی in their actions toward others. The phrase بدی کردن carries a relational weight: it almost always implies doing wrong to a specific person, and the social shame of being known as someone who does بدی to others is a real social consequence in Iranian community life.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab