c - How #define work? Strange result for CUBE(y) y*(y*y)

Question

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#define CUBE(y)y*(y*y)
 main()
      {
        int j;
        j = CUBE(-2+4);
        printf("value of j = %d",j);
        getch();
      }

Output of this code is -26. I just want to know how this code give -26 as an output. How #define work in this code. I know that #define permanent fix value for a variable or method but don't how this work for CUBE here. Can somebody please describe this step by step, means in easy way.

Answer 1

It does:

j = -2 + 4 * (-2 + 4 * -2 + 4)

A more correct definition of CUBE would be

#define CUBE(y) ((y)*(y)*(y))