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濫觴

简滥觞 · 繁濫觴

Mandarin · pinyin làn shāng

lit. floating wine goblets on a stream
the origin (of some phenomenon)

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Characters in this entry

濫: Look up this written character
觴: Look up this written character
滥: làn · flood, overflow; excessive
觞: shāng · wine vessel; propose toast; feast

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–1 · lan4 shang1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(literary) to originate
(literary) to spread to and affect; to spread and influence; to involve
(literary) to spread unchecked; to run rampant

noun

(literary) source; origin

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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