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

HSK 1
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.
HSK 2
女生占全班的一半。
Nǚshēng zhàn quánbān de yībàn.
Girls make up half the class.
HSK 7-9
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