荡

• Locative: A pond, pool, or basin of sufficient volume to allow for currents.
• Kinetic: The act of cleansing with water (washing/rinsing); sweeping away via force (e.g., a flood); purging an area or organization of undesirable elements (political/military clearance).
• Dynamic: Physical swaying, shaking, or undulating; mental or situational instability and wavering.
• Moral: Lack of restraint; dissolute or extravagant behavior characterized by a lack of discipline.

Contrast with 潔 (jié): while 潔 refers to the state of being clean or ritually pure, 荡 emphasizes the process and force—the sweeping motion that clears away.

The forms 蕩 and 盪 are interchangeable in ancient texts; modern distinctions between mechanical oscillation (盪) and sweeping/dissolute behavior (蕩) generally do not apply to classical sources.