占

• 拼音: zhàn
• 汉字拆解: 占 = 卜 (divination) + 口 (mouth), originally 'to divine by reading cracks'

含义

To occupy; to take up; to account for. To hold or take possession of a space, position, or proportion.

Has several related meanings: (1) to physically occupy a space — 占座位 (save/occupy a seat); (2) to take up or account for a proportion — 占百分之五十 (account for 50%); (3) to seize or take — 占便宜 (take advantage of someone). Very common in both spoken and written Chinese.

例句

1. 这张桌子占了太多地方。
2. 请不要占别人的座位。
3. 学生占了全校人数的一半。

用法指南

语境: everyday, descriptions

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 不要占着位子不坐。(Don't occupy a seat without sitting in it.)
• 这个工作占了我很多时间。(This job takes up a lot of my time.)

错误说法

• 我占了他的便宜很好。(Don't boast about 占便宜 — it implies taking unfair advantage and has a negative connotation.)

起源与历史

Oracle bone script shows a crack in a divination bone, originally meaning 'to divine.' The meaning extended to 'to occupy' through the idea of claiming or possessing.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal