占线 (zhàn xiàn) — (of a telephone line) to be busy, to be engaged | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

占线 (zhàn xiàn) specifically means a phone line is busy/engaged. Unlike 忙 (general 'busy'), it only describes the line itself, not the person.

verb

(of a telephone line) to be busyto be engaged

Examples

，占线。
Wǒ gāng cái dǎ nǐ diàn huà, yì zhí zhàn xiàn.
I just called you, but the line was busy the whole time.
占线，。
Tā de diàn huà hái zài zhàn xiàn, nǐ zài děng yí huì r ba.
His phone is still busy — please wait a moment.
占线？
Wèi shén me tā de diàn huà zǒng shì zhàn xiàn?
Why is her phone always busy?

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

占 'occupy' and 线 'line' describe a telephone line being occupied, hence busy.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 佔; 占 is its simplified writing.

亻占佔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn佔zhàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 佔 has a person part 亻 and a sound part 占; the simplified 占 is a later abbreviation.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

糹泉線

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

泉

泉quán線xiàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Phones & Telecom

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