How to Write 泆 (yì) — Meaning “To overflow; excessive”

Imagine a glass of water (氵) that has "lost" (失) its balance and spills over the edge. The water overflowing is a visual for "excessive" or "overflow." This mental picture links the parts to the meaning.

Write the left radical 氵 first (three strokes: dot, dot, lift), then the right side 失 (five strokes: left-falling, horizontal, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling). The last stroke of 失 is a long right-falling stroke (捺), not a dot—a common mistake is making it too short. Keep the water radical narrow and the right side slightly wider for balance.

泆 (yì) uses 失 on the right and means "overflow" or "excessive." 汊 (chà) uses 叉 (fork) on the right and means a river branch or fork. 㳄 is a rare variant or ancient form, not used in modern Chinese; its right side differs visually. Focus on the right-side component: 失 (lose) vs. 叉 (fork).

泆 is very rare in modern Chinese and appears mainly in classical literature or formal writing. It is most often seen in the word 淫泆 (yín yì), meaning "dissolute or licentious," describing moral excess. You will not encounter it in daily conversation, but it appears in historical or philosophical texts about self-control.

Common words containing 泆 include: 淫泆 (yín yì) — Dissolute or licentious; 泆荡 (yì dàng) — Dissolute; unrestrained; 溢泆 (yì yì) — to overflow; excessive.