泛 fàn to drift
to drift; to float; broad
How to remember 泛: 氵 water + 乏 poor = to drift. The water is calm, but the poor fisherman has lost both oars, and now his boat is left to drift for hours.
Component breakdown
泛 = 氵 water + 乏 poor
- 氵 water
- 乏 poor
The water is calm, but the poor fisherman has lost both oars, and now his boat is left to drift for hours.
How it is used
- Bound morpheme meaning "broad/general" or, literally, "to float".
- 广泛 guǎngfàn is a common formal adjective for "wide-ranging/extensive", typically describing scope: 广泛应用 guǎngfàn yìngyòng, "widely applied", 广泛关注 guǎngfàn guānzhù, "widespread attention" - mostly written/formal register.
- 泛滥 fànlàn literally "to flood/overflow (a riverbank)" is used figuratively for something spreading out of control - 盗版泛滥 dàobǎn fànlàn, "piracy is rampant" - a strongly negative connotation.