泛滥

• Pinyin: fàn làn
• Hanzi breakdown: 泛 = 氵 + 乏 (water + lacking — water spreading everywhere without restraint); 滥 = 氵 + 监 (water + supervise — water that exceeds its proper bounds)

Meaning

To overflow; to flood; to spread unchecked. Used both literally (floodwaters overflowing) and figuratively (harmful things proliferating out of control).

In modern usage, the figurative meaning predominates: misinformation, plagiarism, or inferior products flooding a market. 泛滥成灾 (flooding to the point of disaster) is a common set phrase. Always carries a negative connotation.

Examples

1. 网络平台上的虚假信息已经泛滥到难以甄别的程度，这对公众的信息判断能力和媒体素养提出了前所未有的挑战。 False information on online platforms has spread to the point that it’s hard to tell what’s real, posing an unprecedented challenge to the public’s judgment and media literacy.
2. 连续多日的强降雨导致河流水位暴涨，洪水在低洼地区泛滥，大量农田和基础设施受到严重破坏，当地政府紧急启动了防汛预案。 Days of heavy rain caused river levels to surge; floodwaters spilled into low-lying areas, severely damaging farmland and infrastructure, and the local government urgently activated its flood-control plan.
3. 低质量的仿冒品在电商平台上泛滥，不仅损害了正牌品牌商的合法权益，更对消费者的人身安全构成了潜在威胁。 Low-quality counterfeit goods have flooded e-commerce platforms, not only harming legitimate brands but also posing potential threats to consumers’ personal safety.

Usage Guide

Context: environment, society, media, commerce

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 当一种文化现象开始泛滥的时候，往往意味着它的核心价值已经被稀释，从最初的独特表达演变为了批量复制的商业符号，失去了打动人心的力量。(When a cultural phenomenon begins to spread unchecked, it often signals that its core values have been diluted — evolving from an originally distinctive expression into a mass-replicated commercial symbol, losing its power to move people.)
• 监管部门对电信诈骗泛滥的问题高度重视，已联合多个部门启动了专项整治行动，重点打击在境外运营的诈骗团伙及其境内协助人员。(The regulatory authorities attach great importance to the unchecked spread of telecom fraud and have jointly launched a special rectification campaign with multiple departments, targeting fraud gangs operating overseas and their domestic accomplices.)

Don't Say

• 泛滥 for neutral widespread things — 泛滥 inherently implies excess and negativity; for neutral spread use 普及 (to become widespread) or 广泛传播 (to spread widely)

Origin & History

泛 (to flood/spread) + 滥 (to overflow/excess) — dual emphasis on uncontrolled spreading beyond proper limits

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal