站
to stand; station; stop
zhàn
What does 站 mean?
站 (zhàn) has two main functions in Chinese. First, as a verb: 'to stand (on one's feet),' as opposed to 坐 (zuò, 'to sit'). 请站起来 ('please stand up'); 别站在那里 ('don't stand there'). Second, as a noun: 'a station or stop' for transportation — 火车站 ('train station'), 地铁站 ('subway station'), 公共汽车站 ('bus stop').
The two meanings come from a shared image: a place where you stand and wait. In modern internet Chinese, 站 also means 'website' (网站, 'web station'), and 站长 ('station chief / webmaster') applies to both transport managers and site admins. As a measure word, 站 can count bus stops as units of distance: 两站路 ('two stops away')
Character breakdown
to stand; station; stop
Memory hook: The character contains 立 ('to stand') on the left and 占 ('to occupy a spot') on the right — standing in your spot.
Measure word for 站
Example sentences
请站起来。
Qǐng zhàn qǐlái.
Please stand up.
spoken
火车站在哪儿？
Huǒchēzhàn zài nǎr?
Where is the train station?
spoken
我家离地铁站很近。
Wǒ jiā lí dìtiězhàn hěn jìn.
My home is very close to the subway station.
neutral
他站在门口等我。
Tā zhàn zài ménkǒu děng wǒ.
He's standing at the door waiting for me.
neutral
下两站就到了。
Xià liǎng zhàn jiù dào le.
We'll arrive in two more stops.
spoken
Common phrases with 站
Synonyms
立 also means 'to stand' but is formal/written and appears mostly in compounds: 立正 ('stand at attention'). In daily speech, 站 is the only natural choice.
Don't confuse 站 with
占 means 'to occupy / take up' (占位子 — 'save a seat'). Same pinyin and tone, but a different character without the 立 radical. 占 = occupy; 站 = stand/station.
战 means 'war / battle' (战争 'war'). Same pinyin and tone, totally different meaning. Don't write 战 when you mean 站.
停 means 'to stop / pause' — for motion or activity (车停了 — 'the car stopped'). 站 as a noun ('stop')