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泛

fàn
verb #10,713

Meanings

  1. 1 to float; to drift
  2. 2 broad; general; pan-
  3. 3 to spread; to overflow

Examples

不要泛泛而谈。
Bùyào fànfàn ér tán.
Don't speak in generalities.
广泛的兴趣爱好。
Guǎngfàn de xìngqù àihào.
Wide-ranging interests and hobbies.

Tips

usage
广泛 (guǎngfàn) = widespread/extensive, 泛滥 (fànlàn) = to flood/overflow. 泛 suggests spreading broadly.

Components

radical
氵 shuǐ
water (radical form of 水)
Left three-drop water radical — side-form of 水 (Kangxi #85). Indexes 泛 in the liquid family. The literal meaning is water flooding broadly — overflowing the banks, washing across. From that came every figurative sense: 泛舟 (boating on broad water), 泛滥 (overflow, flood), 泛指 (refer broadly to), 泛泛 (general, superficial), 泛美 (Pan-American).
phonetic
乏 fá
lacking; tired (here phonetic)
Right 乏 supplies the sound — fá shifted to fàn, only tone differs. 乏 itself originally pictured a shield with crossed planks for 'depleted, lacking' (the upside-down 正); the meaning doesn't carry. Pure phonetic. The water-with-乏 pairing also gives 贬 (depreciate, demote) via 贝-radical and 砭 (stone needle) via 石-radical — the right side a stable phonetic across that small family.

Stroke Order

泛 fàn