滥 làn to flood
to flood; to overflow; excessive
How to remember 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.
Component breakdown
滥 = 氵 water + 监 supervise
- 氵 water
- 监 supervise
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 is used
- 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.