一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥
yī lì lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu
lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of congee (idiom)
fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch
一
yī
one
粒
lì
grain; granule; pellet; particle
老
lǎo
prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity
鼠
shǔ
(bound form) rat; mouse
屎
shǐ
feces; excrement; a stool
坏
huài
bad
了
le
(completed action marker)
一
yī
one
锅
guō
pot; pan; wok; cauldron
粥
zhōu
congee