粉丝 (fěnsī) — fan; follower

粉丝 (fěnsī)

粉丝 is a loanword borrowing the sound of English "fans." It refers to devoted followers or fans of a celebrity, brand, sports team, or content creator. It also retains its original food meaning (glass noodles made from starch), though the fan meaning dominates in modern media contexts.

Meanings

1. [noun] fan; follower; supporter (of a celebrity, influencer, or brand)
2. [noun] glass noodles; cellophane noodles (original food meaning)

Example Sentences

这位歌手在社交媒体上拥有超过五千万粉丝。 Zhè wèi gēshǒu zài shèjiāo méitǐ shàng yōngyǒu chāoguò wǔqiān wàn fěnsī. This singer has more than fifty million followers on social media.

她发布的一条视频迅速走红，一夜之间涨了百万粉丝。 Tā fābù de yī tiáo shìpín xùnsù zǒuhóng, yī yè zhī jiān zhǎngle bǎi wàn fěnsī. A video she posted went viral quickly, and she gained a million followers overnight.

品牌希望通过与顶流明星合作来吸引年轻粉丝群体。 Pínpái xīwàng tōngguò yǔ dǐngliú míngxīng hézuò lái xīyǐn niánqīng fěnsī qúntǐ. The brand hopes to attract young fan communities by collaborating with top-tier celebrities.

部分粉丝对偶像过度崇拜，甚至影响到了正常的学习和生活。 Bùfèn fěnsī duì ǒuxiàng guòdù chóngbài, shènzhì yǐngxiǎng dàole zhèngcháng de xuéxí hé shēnghuó. Some fans worship their idols excessively, to the point of disrupting their normal studies and daily life.

这款游戏积累了大批忠实粉丝，每次更新都引发热烈讨论。 Zhè kuǎn yóuxì jīlěile dà pī zhōngshí fěnsī, měi cì gēngxīn dōu yǐnfā rèliè tǎolùn. This game has built up a large base of loyal fans, and every update sparks lively discussion.

她用粉丝炖了一锅美味的汤，招待远道而来的朋友。 Tā yòng fěnsī dùnle yī guō měiwèi de tāng, zhāodài yuǎndào ér lái de péngyǒu. She made a delicious pot of soup with glass noodles to treat friends who had come from afar.

Collocations

Usage Notes

粉丝 is a phonetic borrowing (loanword) from English "fans," making it a rare case where a modern Chinese word was created by sound rather than meaning. In digital media contexts it is effectively synonymous with 关注者 (followers) and 支持者 (supporters), but 粉丝 carries a warmer, more devoted connotation.

Writers should note that 粉丝 can be used collectively (他的粉丝很多 -- he has many fans) or to refer to an individual fan (她是一个狂热的粉丝 -- she is a passionate fan). The food meaning is clear from context and does not cause confusion in media discussions.

Memory Hook

粉 (powder/pink) + 丝 (silk/thread) -- imagine silky pink threads connecting a star to all the devoted fans hanging on every word.