How to Write 潋 (liàn) — Meaning “Rippling / overflowing”

Imagine a body of water (氵) that is so full it begins to 'link' (sounds like liàn) over the edges, creating ripples. The right side visually resembles a wavy pattern, reminding you of the sparkling surface of a lake.

The left water radical (氵) should be written small and compact, while the right part is larger and has many strokes. A common mistake is making the right side too narrow or forgetting the final stroke, which is a downward press on the bottom-right component.

渝 (yú) means 'to change' or refers to Chongqing, and its right side is 俞. 渡 (dù) means 'to cross' or 'ferry', with the right side 度. 潋 specifically describes the appearance of rippling or sparkling water, not actions of crossing or changing.

潋 appears mainly in literary or poetic contexts, especially in the word 潋滟 (liàn yàn) to describe shimmering water surfaces. It is not common in everyday speech, but you might see it in classical poetry or travel descriptions of famous lakes like West Lake.

Common words containing 潋 include: 潋滟 (liàn yàn) — (Of water) rippling / sparkling; 波光潋滟 (bō guāng liàn yàn) — Sparkling water.; 水色潋滟 (shuǐ sè liàn yàn) — The water ripples beautifully..