出圈

chūquān

verb

Meanings

1 to go viral beyond one's niche
2 to break into the mainstream
3 to cross over (to wider audiences)

Characters

to go out; to exit

circle; community

Literally 'to exit the circle' — to break out of a niche community and reach mainstream audiences.

Examples

这首歌在二次元圈出圈了。

Zhè shǒu gē zài èrcìyuán quān chūquān le.

This song broke out of the anime community and went mainstream.

他靠一个视频成功出圈。

Tā kào yīgè shìpín chénggōng chūquān.

He went mainstream thanks to a single video.

Tips

culture

Chinese internet is organized into 'circles' (圈子) — fandoms, hobby groups, subcultures. '出圈' is when content transcends its original circle. A Bilibili meme going viral on Weibo, or a niche idol gaining national fame.

Stroke Order

出 chū

圈 quān