泛滥成灾 (fàn làn chéng zāi) — to run rampant; to become a serious problem due to excessive spread or quantity; to flood disastrously (literal or figurative)

Definition

An idiom meaning a problem has spread so far it has itself become a disaster — used figuratively for corruption, rumors, fake goods, etc. The first half 泛滥 pictures uncontrolled spread (like floodwater); 成灾 stresses the disastrous result.

idiom
to run rampantto become a serious problem due to excessive spread or quantityto flood disastrously (literal or figurative)

Examples

  • 泛滥成灾，。
    Jiǎ huò zài shì chǎng shàng fàn làn chéng zāi, xiāo fèi zhě hěn nán fēn biàn zhēn wěi.
    Counterfeit goods are flooding the market, making it hard for consumers to tell real from fake.
  • 泛滥成灾，。
    Wǎng luò yáo yán fàn làn chéng zāi, duì shè huì wěn dìng zào chéng le hěn dà wēi xié.
    Online rumors are running rampant, posing a serious threat to social stability.
  • ，泛滥成灾。
    Rú guǒ hé shuǐ jì xù shàng zhǎng, xià yóu dì qū jiù huì fàn làn chéng zāi.
    If the river keeps rising, the downstream areas will be flooded disastrously.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
乏
乏fá泛fàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

泛 pairs 氵 (water) with 乏, which gives the sound.

Open 泛 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 濫; 滥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān濫làn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 濫 pairs 水, water, with 監 to give the sound; the simplified 滥 is a later shorthand.

Open 滥 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 災; 灾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡿧
𡿧𡿧災zāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 災 combines 火 (fire) with 𡿧, an old picture of flowing water that supplied the sound; the simplified 灾 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 灾 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.