小费 (xiǎo fèi) — tip, gratuity | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

tipgratuity

，15%小费。
Qù gāo dàng cān tīng chī fàn, tōng cháng yào fù 15% de xiǎo fèi.
When eating at a high-end restaurant, you usually need to tip 15%.
，小费。
Zài zhōng guó de yì xiē jiǔ diàn, fú wù yuán huì qī dài kè rén gěi xiǎo fèi.
In some hotels in China, the service staff expect guests to tip.
小费，。
Tā gěi le chū zū chē sī jī yì diǎn xiǎo fèi, biǎo shì gǎn xiè.
He gave a little tip to the taxi driver to show gratitude.

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.

小费 is a small fee: 小 means little, and 费 means a payment or charge.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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.

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