‘占星’ literally means ‘to divine the stars’ — 占 (zhān) means ‘to foretell, to divine’ and 星 (xīng) means ‘star’. Together, they refer to astrology: the practice of interpreting celestial movements and positions to understand or predict human affairs and natural events. Historically rooted in ancient Chinese cosmology and Daoist thought, 占星 overlaps with but is distinct from Western horoscopic astrology; it often incorporates lunar phases, planetary alignments, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions (二十八宿), rather than zodiac signs alone.

In modern Chinese, 占星 is used academically and colloquially to describe astrological study or practice — for example, when discussing personality traits linked to star charts or forecasting trends based on astronomical cycles. It carries a neutral-to-slightly scholarly tone and appears in contexts like cultural history, psychology, popular media, and personal interest groups — though it’s less common in formal scientific discourse.