How to Write 溺 (nì) — Meaning “to drown; to indulge”

Picture a person who is weak (弱) falling into water (氵) and unable to get out — that's drowning. Or imagine a parent who is too weak to say no, so they spoil (溺爱) their child excessively.

Write the three dots of 氵 first, then the right part 弱. The right part has two 弓 radicals stacked; the top 弓 should be slightly smaller than the bottom one. A common mistake is making the two 弓 the same size or forgetting the small hook inside each 弓.

溺 (nì) means to drown or indulge, with the right component 弱. 涪 (fú) is a river name in China, with 咅 on the right. 涫 (guān) means water boiling or bubbling, with 㕣 on the right. Visually, the right parts are completely different, and their meanings have no overlap.

溺 appears in formal or written language, such as 溺水 (drowning) in news and 溺爱 (excessive doting) in parenting discussions. Chinese culture often warns against 溺爱, emphasizing that loving a child too much without discipline harms their growth.

Common words containing 溺 include: 溺水 (nì shuǐ) — to drown; drowning; 溺爱 (nì ài) — to spoil (a child); to dote on excessively; 沉溺 (chén nì) — to indulge in; to drown in (metaphorical).