粉丝 (fěnsī) · glass noodles; bean thread noodles

Measure Word

一个粉丝 gè

Meanings

1 glass noodles; bean thread noodles
2 fans (of a celebrity, team, etc.)
3 followers

About the ingredient

粮食 Grains and noodles

Thin, translucent threads of mung bean or sweet potato starch, finer than 粉条, sold dried and soaked before use. They turn slippery and soak up broth, so they go into soups, hot pot, stir-fries, cold dishes and dumpling fillings.

Also called 冬粉

Used in 8 dishes

蚂蚁上树 mǎyǐshàngshù

鸭血粉丝 yāxuèfěnsī

羊肉泡馍 yángròu pàomó

蒜蓉粉丝娃娃菜 suànróng fěnsī wáwacài

凉拌粉丝 liángbàn fěnsī

牛肉泡馍 niúròu pàomó

煎饼盒子 jiānbǐng hézi

牛肉粉丝汤 niúròu fěnsītāng

Characters

Originally refers to glass noodles (thin translucent noodles). The 'fan' meaning is a phonetic borrowing from English 'fans'.

Examples

HSK 2

她有几百万粉丝。

Tā yǒu jǐ bǎiwàn fěnsī.

She has millions of fans.

HSK 2

粉丝们在机场等他。

Fěnsī men zài jīchǎng děng tā.

The fans were waiting for him at the airport.

Tips

usage

粉丝 has two completely different meanings: (1) fans/followers (from English 'fans'), extremely common online and in entertainment media, and (2) glass noodles, a traditional food item. Context makes the meaning clear.

memory

粉丝 sounds like 'fans' in English - that's exactly where the slang meaning comes from.