滥 làn to flood
to flood; to overflow; excessive
怎么记住“滥”: 氵 water + 监 supervise = to flood. Mom leaves the bath water running and asks her son to supervise it, but he plays games until it starts to flood the bathroom.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
滥 = 氵 water + 监 supervise
- 氵 water meaning
- 监 supervise sound
Mom leaves the bath water running and asks her son to supervise it, but he plays games until it starts to flood the bathroom.
How it came to be
Water gives the meaning and the right part the sound.
用法
- To overflow, hence to be excessive/indiscriminate: 泛滥 (fànlàn), of floods and figuratively of anything spreading unchecked: 泛滥成灾 (fànlàn-chéngzāi) to run rampant.
- 滥用 (lànyòng) means to abuse/misuse (power, drugs); 滥竽充数 (lànyú-chōngshù) to pad numbers with fakes; 宁缺毋滥 (nìngquē-wúlàn) better none than shoddy.