泛滥

氾濫

fànlàn

verb HSK 7 #16,173

Meanings

1 to overflow
2 to flood
3 to inundate
4 to proliferate unchecked
5 to run rampant

Characters

to float; to overflow; excessive

to overflow; excessive; indiscriminate

Examples

洪水泛滥，许多房屋被冲毁。

Hóngshuǐ fànlàn, xǔduō fángwū bèi chōnghuǐ.

The flood waters overflowed and many houses were washed away.

网上虚假信息泛滥成灾。

Wǎng shàng xūjiǎ xìnxī fànlàn chéngzāi.

False information is running rampant online.

Tips

usage

Literal: rivers overflowing/flooding. Figurative (more common): something bad spreading out of control — fake news, drugs, corruption. The extended idiom 泛滥成灾 (fànlàn chéngzāi) means 'to reach plague proportions.'

Stroke Order

泛 fàn

滥 làn