湎

miǎn
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to be drowned in drink; to wallow in (esp. wine)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Chén miǎn yú jiǔ jiùshì chénmí hējiǔ.
To be lost in something is written 沉湎, using this character.

Tips

history
湎 is not used alone in modern Chinese; it survives only bound in 沉湎 (to wallow in, to be sunk in - usually drink or indulgence). It is the water radical 氵 with the phonetic 面, originally picturing a face flushed and submerged by wine.
register
Literary and bound only; modern speech uses 沉迷 for this idea.

Components

radical
氵 shuǐ
water; liquid
氵 is the left-side three-drop form of the water radical 水. Here it points to drink - being submerged by wine - giving the sense of drowning in indulgence.
phonetic
面 miàn
face (phonetic)
面 gives the sound (miàn to miǎn) and adds an image - a drinker's face awash with wine. It is the standalone character for face, reused for its reading and a faint visual hint.

Stroke Order

湎 miǎn