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占地 (zhàn dì) — to occupy (land/space); to cover (an area); (separable verb) to take up space

Definition

占地 is a separable verb meaning 'to occupy/cover an area of land' — used for buildings, gardens, factories and the like reporting how much ground they take up. Split as 占…地 with objects or measures inserted in the middle.

verb
to occupy (land/space)to cover (an area)(separable verb) to take up space

Examples

  • 占地。
    Zhè ge guǎng chǎng zhàn dì hěn dà.
    This square takes up a lot of space.
  • 。
    Xīn gōng chǎng zhàn le shí mǔ dì.
    The new factory occupies ten mu of land.
  • 占地。
    Huā yuán zhàn dì yì bǎi píng fāng mǐ.
    The garden covers one hundred square meters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

占zhàntake up
地dìland/space

占 “take up” and 地 “land” combine to mean take up land or space.

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.

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.

Open 占 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →
Appears in
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