粉丝 fěnsī fan
fan; follower (loanword)
How to remember 粉丝: 粉 powder + 丝 silk = fan.
Characters
How it is used
- Two unrelated senses: (1) fans/enthusiasts (loanword) - 他有很多粉丝 (tā yǒu hěn duō fěnsī) he has many fans; (2) cellophane/bean-thread noodles - 蚂蚁上树用粉丝.
- The 'fans' sense dominates online; measure 一个粉丝, and 粉 alone can mean a fan (路人粉, 铁粉).
- Context (people vs food) disambiguates instantly.
Example sentences
- 我是足球的忠实粉丝。 Wǒ shì zúqiú de zhōngshí fěnsī.I'm a big football fan.