坊间

坊間
fāngjiān
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 on the streets
  2. 2 among the public
  3. 3 in popular circulation

Examples

HSK 2
Zhè běnshū zài fāngjiān yǐjīng mǎi bùdào le.
This book is no longer available in the bookshops.
HSK 7-9
Fāngjiān liúchuán zhe xǔduō guānyú tā de chuánwén.
Many rumors about him are circulating among the public.

Tips

history
originally meant a walled residential ward in Tang-era cities - Chang'an was divided into 108 such . 坊间 literally "between the wards" came to mean "out in the street / among the people," hence today's sense of unofficial, popular circulation.
register
Slightly literary. Common in news headlines: 坊间传闻 (street rumor), 坊间流传 (circulating among the public). Don't use it for your living room.

Stroke Order

fāng
jiān