English translation of 万人迷?

[Demonic_Duck]

I've seen this word a couple of times lately, and I'm told it means “让一万个人痴迷的人” (figuratively, of course). I'm fine with that as a concept, but I'm really struggling to think of whether there's an English equivalent for this word. I feel like there must be one, but I'm drawing a blank. Any suggestions?

[skylee]

Beckham?

[Demonic_Duck]

Cultural differences n' all that... Beckham's not even considered that much of a heartthrob these days in the anglophone world. I guess that's one possible word, "heartthrob", although that's almost always referring to a man - is there a feminine or gender-neutral equivalent?

[li3wei1]

idol?

pin-up?

superstar?

[Demonic_Duck]

Does a 万人迷 necessarily have to be famous? If so, "pin-up" could be a good one. I'm still not 100% clear on all the connotations of the word, though.

[skylee]

I don't think that person has to be famous, but it seems unlikely that an ordinary person can be extremely charming and liked by ten thousand people (I am not talking about Facebook).

[Demonic_Duck]

Well, for sure this kind of person exists, even if not famous, although I daresay it's a lot more common in fiction than in real life. Maybe for a non-famous female it could be "beauty" or something, although that really only describes her physical appearance and not her charm and the effect she has on other people.

[Nathan Mao]

You could say "the/a face that launched a thousand ships", but that is generally considered only for women, and due to beauty.

 

You could say someone is messianic, if there is any kind of spiritual component to the fandom.

 

Other than that, I think you'd have to use a corresponding phrase, like: "entranced thousands" or "his/her thousands of besotted (smitten?) fans/followers", etc.

[li3wei1]

Would cult leaders like David Koresh or Jim Jones count? They weren't widely known, but they were able to convince/persuade large numbers of people who came in contact with them.

[skylee]

I suppose to be regarded as a 萬人迷 a person must be considered charming (迷) by a lot of people (萬人).  Leslie Cheung 張國榮 was one.

[Demonic_Duck]

I think Skylee's on the right track, and I also feel that the word has positive connotations, so I don't think cult leaders would count (again though, I'm just speculating, feel free to correct me).

[Kenny同志]

A 萬人迷 is a charming, attractive person whom people are crazy about. He or she is well-known where he or she is considered a 萬人迷.

In the word, 萬 should not be taken literally. It basically means a large number of people which can range from hundreds to billions. For example, 他在我們學校可是個萬人迷; another example: 萬人迷陳好(google her if you don't know who she is).


By the way, you are right when you say that the term carries positive connotations.

[Demonic_Duck]

Thanks for the clarification, Kenny! I guess, as with so many Chinese terms, it simply doesn't have a perfect English equivalent that works in all contexts.

 

The first context in which I heard it was "你在和一个万人迷发微信" (a tongue-in-cheek boast from a female friend), so I guess here it would simply be "you're weixinning a person who everyone loves". This still seems kinda awkward to me, though...

[Kenny同志]

No problem, Duck. Another example is 萬人坑, in which 萬 shouldn't be taken literally either, just like in 萬人迷.

[Demonic_Duck]

To be honest, with any expression like that with 万 in it I automatically assume it's meant figuratively. Same goes for 百、千 etc.

[Nathan Mao]

Other translations you could use, depending on the context:

Big Man On Campus (BMOC)...

Loved (admired) by one and all...

Mr (Miss) Popular

It-girl

Man of the Hour

Well-loved...

Most eligible bachelor

[Kenny同志]

That's good, Duck. I am sorry I underestimated your Chinese.