Chinese word

蔓延

Pronunciation

Pinyinmàn yán

Meaning

  • verbspread

Example

谣言在社区里蔓延开来。yáo yán zài shè qū lǐ màn yán kāi lái

The rumor is spreading through the community.

Illustration for 蔓延 (spread)

More examples

谣言在社交媒体上迅速蔓延，引起了广泛关注。yáo yán zài shè jiāo méi tǐ shàng xùn sù màn yán yín qǐ le guǎng fàn guān zhù

The rumor quickly spread on social media, attracting widespread attention.

Core concept

An unwanted thing keeps reaching from one small area into a wider area, like a vine covering more ground.

Common phrases

  • 谣言蔓延yáo yán màn yán

    rumors spread

  • 疫情蔓延yì qíng màn yán

    an epidemic spreads

  • 蔓延开来màn yán kāi lái

    begin to spread

Similar words

传播chuán bō: Pass between people or through media until information or disease becomes widespread.
扩散kuò sàn: Move outward from a central point in many directions and affect a wide area.
弥漫mí màn: Spread through a wide area until smoke, a smell, or a mood fills it.
遍布biàn bù: Be spread widely throughout a whole region.

Definition in Chinese

事物从局部向更大范围逐步扩散、扩展，常用于指疾病、谣言、坏习惯等具有负面意味的传播。shì wù cóng jú bù xiàng gèng dà fàn wéi zhú bù kuò sàn kuò zhǎn cháng yòng yú zhǐ jí bìng yáo yán huài xí guàn děng jù yǒu fù miàn yì wèi de chuán bō

Word origin

蔓 (màn, "vine") + 延 (yán, "extend") combines the image of a vine extending outward with the idea of something reaching farther.

Usage tips

  • Compared with casual everyday wording, this verb sounds more formal and usually suits reports about problems rather than ordinary conversation.

Other meanings

  • proliferateverb
  • run rampantverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word