TongTong
Sign in

医疗费 (yī liáo fèi) — medical costs, medical expenses, medical bill

Definition

noun
medical costsmedical expensesmedical bill

Examples

  • 医疗费。
    Zuì jìn yī liáo fèi shàng zhǎng le bù shǎo.
    Medical costs have risen quite a bit recently.
  • 医疗费。
    Tā de yī liáo fèi yóu bǎo xiǎn gōng sī chéng dān.
    His medical expenses are covered by the insurance company.
  • 医疗费。
    Zhè jiā yī yuàn yī liáo fèi hěn gāo.
    This hospital's medical bills are very high.

Origin

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.

医疗medical treatment
医yīmedicine疗liáotreat
联合Coordinate
费fèifee

医疗 refers to medical treatment and 费 means fee, so the word means medical costs.

Characters in this word

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 醫; 医 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
酉酉yǒuliquor
Sound part声符shēngfú
殹
殹yì醫yī
Same sound today

The traditional form 醫 pairs 酉 (liquor) with 殹 as a sound part; the simplified 医 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 医 →

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 療; 疗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo療liáo
Same sound today

The traditional form 療 has 疒 for disease and 尞 for the sound; the simplified 疗 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical ones.

Open 疗 →

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
Medicine & Treatment

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.