p8nda
p8nda BETA
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占

佔
zhàn / zhān
verb HSK 2 #2,765

Meanings

  1. 1 to occupy; to take up
  2. 2 to account for; to make up (a proportion)
  3. 3 to seize; to take possession of

Examples

这个桌子占了很大的地方。
Zhège zhuōzi zhàn le hěn dà de dìfang.
This table takes up a lot of space.
女生占全班的一半。
Nǚshēng zhàn quánbān de yībàn.
Girls make up half the class.
别占我的位子。
Bié zhàn wǒ de wèizi.
Don't take my seat.

Tips

usage
Two main patterns to lock in: 占 + space/seat = physical occupation (占座, 占地方); 占 + percentage = statistical share (占百分之三十, 市场占有率 market share).
mistakes
占 has a second reading 占 for divination — 占卜 (to divine), 占星 (astrology). All occupation/share senses stay zhàn. Rule of thumb: if it means "to take up," "to grab," or "to account for" → zhàn; if it means "to read fortune" → zhān.

Components

radical
卜 bǔ
divination; oracle
Top divination radical, a pictograph of cracks formed on a heated oracle bone — the lines a diviner read to predict outcomes. It supplies the original meaning: to divine, foretell (the zhān reading). From the idea of claiming the spot the oracle pointed to, the zhàn sense "to take a position, occupy" later generalised. Same radical also anchors 卦 and 卢.
semantic
口 kǒu
mouth
Bottom mouth radical, a small square. Together with the divination crack above, the whole forms a compound ideograph: a mouth speaking the verdict read from the oracle bone — pronouncing what was foretold. From announcing a verdict came the modern senses 'to occupy, take possession, hold' (占领, 占有, 占据).

Stroke Order

占 zhàn