About this episode
Breaking into a celebrity’s house, stalking a pop singer, arguing with others who dislike an actor… These are the actions of what’s known as a ‘Fans Group.’ They are passionate, but sometimes they can also be toxic. In this episode, we explore the world of 饭圈 (Fans Group) in China—a community that evokes both love and hate.
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大家好！欢迎回来MaoMi Chinese！
你有没有喜欢的明星呢？为了这个喜欢的明星，你会做什么疯狂的事情呢？在中文里，如果有一群人都喜欢同一个明星，为了这个明星做很多事情，我们会说这是饭圈。我们知道饭，是米饭，吃饭，但是“饭圈”的“饭”不是米饭，“饭圈”也不是米饭的圈。“饭圈”这个词是怎么来的呢？“饭圈”会做什么疯狂的事情呢？今天，我们一起来聊一聊吧！
“饭圈”的饭，来自英文的fans，也就是追随者，也可以叫“粉丝”。“粉丝”不是吃的粉丝，是从英文Fans来的。“饭圈”，意思是喜欢同一个明星的很多人。他们常常会为了这个明星做一些疯狂的事情，也就是追星。比如，我的朋友喜欢Taylor Swift，她经常请假去看Taylor的演唱会。如果有人不喜欢Taylor，她会很生气，有时候会和别人吵架。
饭圈里都是什么样的人呢？在中国，饭圈里的大多是年轻人，尤其是十多岁，二十多岁的年轻人。饭圈里的粉丝们会为了喜欢的明星做什么呢？他们要么花钱，要么花时间，要么花钱也花时间。如果一个明星要坐飞机去一个城市，他的饭圈的粉丝们会去机场送他，或者接他。如果一个明星为一个东西做广告，饭圈的粉丝们会因为明星买很多这个东西。如果一个明星有演唱会，虽然演唱会的票很贵，粉丝们也会买票去看。如果一个明星演了电影，粉丝们会买很多次票，去电影院看很多次。他们有时候也会花很多钱，买很贵的东西，送给这个明星。
这些都是比较正常的。饭圈里有一些疯狂的粉丝，他们叫“私生饭”。什么意思呢？每一个人都有私生活，也就是不工作的时候，个人的生活。明星也有私生活。有一些粉丝很喜欢去打扰明星的私生活，这样的粉丝就叫“私生饭”。他们很疯狂，也很可怕。他们可能会找到明星的家，然后在家外面等这个明星，或者偷偷拍照。他们也能找到明星住的酒店，然后进去明星的房间，偷他们的东西。他们还可能找到明星的电话号码，然后给明星打电话。非常疯狂，对不对？我觉得这已经是有毒的。
我不知道为什么饭圈的一些粉丝会做一些疯狂的事情，有毒的事情，但是我希望每一个人都能爱自己多一点，为自己花时间，为自己花钱，因为自己的生活才是最重要的。
好啦，我们先来复习一下今天的词语吧！
- 粉丝，意思是一个明星的追随者。
- 饭圈，意思是喜欢同一个明星的一群人，他们常常会为了这个明星花钱，花时间。
- 追星，意思为了一个明星做很多事情，要么花钱，要么花时间，要么又花钱又花时间。
- 私生活，意思是人们工作以外的个人生活。每一个人都有私生活，我们不想让其他人知道太多我们的私生活。
- 私生饭，意思是饭圈里一些疯狂的粉丝，他们经常去打扰明星的私生活。
好啦，今天的MaoMi Chinese就先到这里。你会追星吗？你怎么看饭圈呢？欢迎给我们留言，和我们分享你的看法！
Hello everyone! Welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!
Do you have a favourite celebrity? What kind of crazy things would you do for this celebrity? In Chinese, when a group of people all admire the same celebrity and do a lot for them, we call this a “饭圈.” We know that “饭” means rice, as in what we eat, but the “饭” in “饭圈” doesn’t refer to rice, and “饭圈” isn’t a circle of rice either. So, where does the term “饭圈” come from? And what kind of crazy things do they do? Let’s have a chat about it today!
The “饭” in “饭圈” comes from the English word “fans,” meaning followers, which can also be called “粉丝” in Chinese. This “粉丝” doesn’t refer to the vermicelli we eat, but is derived from the English word “fans.” “饭圈” refers to a group of people who all like the same celebrity. They often do some crazy things for this celebrity, which we call “追星” or “star chasing.” For example, my friend likes Taylor Swift, and she often takes time off work to attend Taylor’s concerts. If someone dislikes Taylor, she gets really upset and might even argue with them.
So, who are the people in these “饭圈”? In China, most of the people in “饭圈” are young people, especially those in their teens or twenties. What do the fans in a “饭圈” do for the celebrities they admire? They either spend money, time, or both. If a celebrity is flying to a city, their fans might go to the airport to see them off or greet them. If a celebrity endorses a product, the fans might buy a lot of that product just because of the endorsement. If a celebrity has a concert, even if the tickets are very expensive, the fans will still buy them to attend. If a celebrity stars in a film, fans might buy multiple tickets to watch the movie several times in the cinema. Sometimes, they even spend a lot of money on expensive gifts for the celebrity.
These are relatively normal behaviours. But in “饭圈,” there are some extreme fans known as “私生饭.” What does that mean? Everyone has a private life, which refers to the personal life outside of work. Celebrities have a private life too. Some fans enjoy disturbing the private lives of celebrities, and these fans are called “私生饭.” They are very extreme and can be quite scary. They might find out where a celebrity lives and wait outside their home, or secretly take photos. They can also discover the hotel where a celebrity is staying, sneak into their room, and steal their belongings. They might even find the celebrity’s phone number and call them. Very crazy, right? I think this has become quite toxic.
I don’t know why some fans in “饭圈” do such crazy and toxic things, but I hope everyone can love themselves a bit more, spend time and money on themselves, because your own life is the most important.
Let’s review today’s vocabulary!
- 粉丝Fans: meaning a follower of a celebrity.
- 饭圈Fans group: meaning a group of people who all like the same celebrity, and who often spend money and time on this celebrity.
- 追星Chase after the celebrity: meaning to do a lot of things for a celebrity, either spending money, time, or both.
- 私生活Private life: meaning people’s personal life outside of work. Everyone has a private life, and we don’t want others to know too much about it.
- 私生饭Sasaeng fan: meaning extreme fans in fans group who often disturb the private lives of celebrities.
That’s all for today’s MaoMi Chinese. Are you a star chaser? What do you think of “饭圈”? Feel free to leave us a comment and share your thoughts!