Meaning:

    “圈” literally means “encircle,” and “粉” is the short form of “粉丝,” the Chinese transliteration of the English word “fans.” This term, often used by Chinese netizens, refers to the efforts of enlarging one’s fan base on social media. Since brands and celebrities today depend heavily on their fan base to make profits, social media platforms have become a “gold mine” where they try to enlist more fans. The term is also used to mean “winning people’s hearts” generally.

    Example:

    A: 你们班新来的女生太漂亮了！

    Nǐmen bān xīnlái de nǚshēng tài piàoliang le!

    The new girl in your class is so pretty!

    B: 她不仅漂亮，而且成绩好，对人和善，唱歌特别好听。

    Tā bǔjǐn piàoliang, érqiě chéngjī hǎo, duì rén héshàn, chànggē tèbié hǎotīng。

    She is not just pretty, but also excels at academics, is kind to people and sings well.

    A: 她一定光速圈粉了。

    Tā yīdìng guāngsù quānfěn le。

    She must have won over a lot of hearts in no time.

    B: 是啊，我们班男生一致公认她是我们班的女神。

    Shì a, wǒmen bān nánshēng yīzhì gōngrèn tā shì wǒmen bān de nǚshén。

    Yeah, the boys in my class all think she is our “goddess.”