氾 (fàn) - To overflow & to flood

氾Tone 4

fàn ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 氵

恩丰

氾 · fàn

To overflow;

to flood;

to spread everywhere;

a surname;

also used in ancient place names.

To overflowto floodto spread everywhere

Usage highlights

FloodingWidespreadOverflowingFan surnameAncient Fan River

Synonyms

  • 泛— to spread; to overflow (more common variant)
  • 泛滥— to flood; to overflow

Antonyms

  • 干— dry (opposite of overflowing)
  • 涸— dried up

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The river overflowed its banks (河水氾滥).
  • His influence spreads widely (他的影响氾及各处).
  • Fan Zhongyan was a famous Song dynasty statesman (范仲淹, note: different character but same pronunciation).

Collocations

  • Flooding(氾滥)
  • Widespread(氾及)
  • Overflowing(氾溢)
  • Fan surname(氾姓)
  • Ancient Fan River(氾水)

Idioms

  • Flooding and overflowing(氾滥成灾)
  • Widespread and overflowing(氾滥无归)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to overflowing water; later extended to mean widespread or universal.
  • Used as a surname since ancient times, though relatively rare today.
  • Appears in historical texts and place names, such as the ancient Fan River (氾水).

FAQ