泛滥

氾濫

fànlàn

verb HSK 7-9 #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

HSK 6

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.

HSK 7-9

网上虚假信息泛滥成灾。

Wǎngshàng 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