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付费 (fù fèi) — to pay a fee; to pay the cost

Definition

付费 (fùfèi) is a compound verb meaning 'to pay a fee' — typically for a service, subscription, or content (software, music, membership). Often used as an attributive: 付费用户 = 'paying user'.

verb
to pay a feeto pay the cost

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu yào fù yí cì fèi.
    I have to pay a fee every month.
  • 付费。
    Qǐng xiān fù fèi zài shǐ yòng.
    Please pay first before using.
  • 付费。
    Zhè ge ruǎn jiàn xū yào fù fèi cái néng yòng.
    This software requires payment to use.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

付fùpay
费fèifee

付 means pay and 费 fee; together they mean paying a cost.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

付 pairs 亻 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a person handing something to someone.

Open 付 →

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.

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.

Open 费 →
Appears in
Money & Currency

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