交通费 (jiāo tōng fèi) — transportation costs, transport expenses

Definition

noun

transportation coststransport expenses

交通费。
Zhè ge yuè wǒ de jiāo tōng fèi hěn gāo.
My transportation costs this month are very high.
交通费。
Gōng sī bào xiāo yuán gōng de jiāo tōng fèi.
The company reimburses employees' transportation expenses.
，交通费。
Zhù dé lí gōng sī yuǎn, jiāo tōng fèi jiù huì duō.
If you live far from the company, transportation costs will be higher.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

交通transport

联合Side by side

交通费 is 交通 (transport) plus 费 (cost), meaning money spent on travel.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

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

辶甬通

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

甬

甬yǒng通tōng

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

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

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 費; 费 is its simplified writing.

弗貝費

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèicowry

Sound part声符shēngfú

弗

弗fú費fèi

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

The traditional form 費 has 貝, a cowry shell, and 弗, which gives a sound; the simplified 费 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the original pieces.