Meaning:
“封” means “to put the seal on,” and “麦” is the Chinese transliteration of “mic,” short for “microphone.” Literally translated as “putting the seal on one’s microphone,” this term is a metaphor for “bidding a farewell to one’s singing career.” The phrase was used in a line in Jay Chou’s 2016 song “Failure at Love” (“爱情废柴”) .
Example:
A: 台湾歌手费玉清封麦后竟然有一首歌被欧洲的网友热搜了。
Táiwān gēshǒu fèiyùqīng fēngmài hòu jìngrán yǒu yīshǒugē bèi ōuzhōu de wǎngyǒu rèsōu le。
Taiwanese singer Fei Yuqing unexpectedly found one of his old songs went viral among European netizens after he had officially ended his singing career.
B: 你说的是《一剪梅》吧，这首歌朗朗上口，我小时候就会唱!
Nǐ shuō de shì 《yījiǎnméi 》ba，zhèshǒu gē lǎnglǎng-shàngkǒu，wǒ xiǎoshíhòu jiù huì chàng!
You’re talking about “A Branch of Plum Blossom,” right? That one is really catchy. I could sing it when I was a kid!