出圈儿

出圈兒

chūquānr

phrase

Meanings

1 to break out (of one's niche); to cross over to a wider audience
2 to overstep the bounds; to go too far

Characters

circle (of fans/fields)

Examples

HSK 4

他说话有时候太出圈儿了，让人下不来台。

Tā shuōhuà yǒushíhou tài chūquānr le, ràng rén xiàbulái tái.

Sometimes he crosses the line in what he says and leaves people embarrassed.

HSK 7-9

这首歌今年终于出圈儿了，连不听流行乐的人都在哼。

Zhè shǒu gē jīnnián zhōngyú chūquānr le, lián bù tīng liúxíngyuè de rén dōu zài hēng.

This song has finally broken out this year - even people who don't listen to pop music are humming it.

Tips

usage

Modern internet use strongly favors the "break out to mainstream" sense (a niche idol/show/game 出圈儿). The older "overstep bounds" meaning is still used but less common online.

Stroke Order

出 chū

圈 quān

儿 ér