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医药费 (yī yào fèi) — medical expenses, medical costs

Definition

noun
medical expensesmedical costs

Examples

  • 医药费。
    Tā shǒu shù hòu huā le hěn duō yī yào fèi.
    He spent a lot on medical expenses after the surgery.
  • 医药费？
    Zhè xiē yī yào fèi kě yǐ bào xiāo ma?
    Can these medical expenses be reimbursed?
  • 医药费。
    Gōng sī chéng dān le wǒ de yī yào fèi.
    The company covered my medical costs.

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.

医药medical and pharmaceutical
医yīmedical药yàomedicine
联合Coordinate
费fèifee

医 and 药 give the idea of medicine and drugs, while 费 adds charges, so 医药费 means medical expenses.

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 藥; 药 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
樂
樂lè藥yào
Same sound today

In the traditional form 藥, 艹 shows grass and 樂 gives the sound; this story is about 藥, not about the simplified 药.

Open 药 →

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

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