占线

佔線

zhànxiàn

verb #22,690

Meanings

我打了好几次，电话一直占线。

Wǒ dǎ le hǎojǐ cì, diànhuà yīzhí zhànxiàn.

I called several times but the line was always busy.

对不起，现在占线，请稍后再拨。

Duìbuqǐ, xiànzài zhànxiàn, qǐng shāohòu zài bō.

Sorry, the line is busy right now — please try again later.

他的电话整天占线，根本联系不上。

Tā de diànhuà zhěngtiān zhànxiàn, gēnběn liánxi bù shàng.

His phone line is busy all day — there's no getting through to him.

memory

占 means to occupy, 线 means line — the line is occupied. Very direct and logical!

占 zhàn

线 xiàn