占 zhān / zhàn — to observe; to divine; to divine; to occupy; to constitute; to make up
这张桌子占了不少地方。Zhè zhāng zhuō zi zhàn le bù shǎo dì fang.This table takes up quite a lot of space.
Common words: 占领 (zhàn lǐng)、占有 (zhàn yǒu)、占线 (zhàn xiàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to divine"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to divine", including 占 (zhān / zhàn), 占 (zhān / zhàn), 卜 (bo / bǔ). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to divine" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 占 (zhān / zhàn), 占 (zhān / zhàn), 卜 (bo / bǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhān, zhàn, bo, bǔ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 占 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 占 zhān / zhànto observe; to divine; to divine; to occupy; to constitute; to make upUseful words: 占领, 占有
- 占 zhān / zhànto observe; to divine; to divine; to occupy; to constitute; to make upUseful words: 占领, 占有
- 卜 bo / bǔturnip; to divine; foretellUseful words: 萝卜, 占卜
Common words for these 3 "to divine" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 占 (zhān / zhàn) — so "to divine" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
占领zhàn lǐngto capture; to seize; to occupy by force占有zhàn yǒuto have; to own; to hold; to occupy占线zhàn xiànbusy (telephone line)占领zhàn lǐngto capture; to seize; to occupy by force占有zhàn yǒuto have; to own; to hold; to occupy占线zhàn xiànbusy (telephone line)萝卜luó boradish (Raphanus sativus), esp. daikon占卜zhān bǔto divine卜问bǔ wènto predict by divining; to consult the oracle
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to divine".
占 zhān / zhàn — to observe; to divine; to divine; to occupy; to constitute; to make up
这张桌子占了不少地方。Zhè zhāng zhuō zi zhàn le bù shǎo dì fang.This table takes up quite a lot of space.
Common words: 占领 (zhàn lǐng)、占有 (zhàn yǒu)、占线 (zhàn xiàn)
卜 bo / bǔ — turnip; to divine; foretell
古时候，人们用龟壳来占卜吉凶。Gǔ shí hou, rén men yòng guī ké lái zhān bǔ jí xiōng.In ancient times, people used turtle shells to divine fortune.
Common words: 萝卜 (luó bo)、占卜 (zhān bǔ)、卜问 (bǔ wèn)
All 3 characters
Open 占、占、卜 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.