占据
Traditional: 佔據
zhàn jù HSK 6

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

新建筑占据大片土地。
Xīn jiànzhù zhànjù dà piàn tǔdì.
The new building occupies a large area of land.
敌军占据重要城市。
Díjūn zhànjù zhòngyào chéngshì.
Enemy forces occupy important cities.
工作占据他大部分时间。
Gōngzuò zhànjù tā dà bùfèn shíjiān.
Work takes up most of his time.
他占据房间。
Tā zhànjù fángjiān.
He occupies the room.
猫占据沙发。
Māo zhànjù shāfā.
The cat occupies the sofa.

💡 Memory Tip

Break the characters: 占 (zhàn) means 'to occupy' and 据 (jù) means 'according to' or 'to rely on.' Think: 'to occupy and hold based on control.' Associate it with a suitcase (like in the example) taking up space firmly.

📝 Usage Notes

This word is neutral in formality and used in both spoken and written Chinese. It's common in contexts describing physical space occupation (e.g., rooms, land), abstract control (e.g., market share, attention), or military/political holding of territories.

📖 Grammar Points

占据 is a transitive verb followed directly by an object (e.g., 占据空间). It's often used with modifiers like 大部分 (most) or 完全 (completely) to indicate extent. Example pattern: Subject + 占据 + Object.

🏯 Cultural Notes

In historical or political contexts, 占据 can carry connotations of forceful occupation, such as in discussions of disputed territories. In business, it's neutrally used for market competition.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 占领 (zhànlǐng), which specifically means 'to seize or occupy' (often militarily), 占据 has a broader use for both physical and abstract occupation. 占用 (zhànyòng) means 'to use or occupy temporarily,' while 占据 implies longer-term control.

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