荡漾

• Pinyin: dàng yàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 荡 = 氵+ 荡 (to sway, wash); 漾 = 氵+ 羊 (to ripple, overflow)

Meaning

To ripple or undulate (of water or sound); to surge or be filled with (of emotions). Describes gentle oscillating movement or emotion spreading through one.

Used both literally (water rippling, music floating through the air) and figuratively (emotions welling up or spreading). A literary and evocative word common in prose, poetry, and descriptive writing.

Examples

1. 微风吹过，湖面泛起层层荡漾的涟漪，美不胜收。 A light breeze passed by, sending ripples across the lake in layers—an unforgettable sight.
2. 悠扬的旋律在整个音乐厅中荡漾，令人心旷神怡。 The soaring melody drifted through the entire concert hall, leaving everyone refreshed and at ease.
3. 她心中荡漾着一种难以言说的幸福与感动。 A hard-to-describe sense of happiness and being deeply moved rippled through her heart.

Usage Guide

Context: prose, poetry, nature description, emotional expression

Tone: lyrical

Do Say

• 晨雾中，河面荡漾着若隐若现的金色光芒。(In the morning mist, golden light shimmered faintly across the rippling river surface.)
• 孩子们的笑声在山谷间荡漾，久久不散。(The children's laughter rippled through the valley and lingered for a long time.)

Don't Say

• 水荡漾了一下 — use 泛起涟漪 or 轻轻晃动 for a single brief movement; 荡漾 implies a continuous, flowing undulation

Origin & History

荡 (sway, wash) + 漾 (ripple, overflow with water)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal