Chinese word

泛滥

Pronunciation

Pinyinfàn làn

Meaning

  • verboverflow

Example

雨下得太大，河水泛滥了。yǔ xià de tài dà hé shuǐ fàn làn le

The rain is so heavy that the river overflows.

Illustration for 泛滥 (overflow)

More examples

网络上不实广告泛滥，误导了不少用户。wǎng luò shàng bù shí guǎng gào fàn làn wù dǎo le bù shǎo yòng hù

False advertisements are rampant online, misleading many users.

Core concept

Water or another force spills past its proper limits and keeps spreading across the surrounding space.

Common phrases

  • 信息泛滥xìn xī fàn làn

    information overload

  • 谣言泛滥yáo yán fàn làn

    rumors run rampant

  • 情绪泛滥qíng xù fàn làn

    emotions run high

Similar words

蔓延màn yán: Spreading quickly and becoming difficult to stop, especially for diseases or other harmful things.
扩散kuò sàn: Spreading outward from a center so that its range or effect becomes wider.
传播chuán bō: Passing from person to person and spreading, especially for information or disease.
溢出yì chū: Flowing out after a liquid goes beyond the edge or limit of its container.

Definition in Chinese

指事物在一定范围内不受控制地向外扩散，常用作比喻，也可指水体溢出。zhǐ shì wù zài yí dìng fàn wéi nèi bú shòu kòng zhì dì xiàng wài kuò sàn cháng yòng zuò bǐ yù yě kě zhǐ shuí tǐ yì chū

Word origin

The compound 泛 (fàn, "spread") + 滥 (làn, "overflow") joins two images of expansion and excess, giving the word its sense of uncontrolled spread.

Usage tips

  • The word often describes abstract things as well as water, so it is useful for recognizing why Chinese news can apply it to rumors, advertising, or other things that become too widespread.

Other meanings

  • spread uncheckedverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 泛滥成灾fàn làn chéng zāioverflow and cause disasteridiom

Word lists with this word