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

HSK 5

他靠一个视频成功出圈。

Tā kào yí gè shìpín chénggōng chūquān.

He went mainstream thanks to a single video.

HSK 6

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.

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