坊间

坊間
fāngjiān
noun

Meanings

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

Examples

Fāngjiān liúchuánzhe xǔduō guānyú tā de chuánwén.
Many rumors about him are circulating among the public.
Zhè běn shū zài fāngjiān yǐjīng mǎi bù dào le.
This book is no longer available in the bookshops.

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