占
divine, observe
占 is composed of 卜 (divination) and 口 (mouth). 卜 depicts the cracks formed on a tortoise shell during divination by burning, while 口 represents speech. Thus, 占 refers to the act of observing cracks during divination and making predictions, also carrying the meaning of inspecting or observing.
Vocabulary of 占
- 占星 (horoscope)
- 占卦 (divination by casting lots)