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抚养费 (fǔ yǎng fèi) — child support (payment made by a non-custodial parent after divorce)

Definition

A specific term for the money a non-custodial parent pays to raise a child after divorce or separation, ordered by a court. Use 支付 or 付 with this term.

noun
child support (payment made by a non-custodial parent after divorce)

Examples

  • ，抚养费。
    Lí hūn hòu, tā měi gè yuè dōu yào zhī fù fǔ yǎng fèi.
    After the divorce, he has to pay child support every month.
  • 抚养费。
    Fǎ yuàn pàn jué tā bì xū àn shí zhī fù fǔ yǎng fèi.
    The court ruled that he must pay child support on time.
  • 抚养费。
    fǔ yǎng fèi De jīn é shì gēn jù shuāng fāng shōu rù lái què dìng de.
    The amount of child support is determined based on both parties' income.

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.

抚养support and raise
抚fǔsupport养yǎngraise
联合Coordinate
费fèiexpense

抚 and 养 together mean support and raise, and 费 expense names the payment for raising a child.

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 撫; 抚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
無
無wú撫fǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 撫 pairs 手 (hand) with 無 for the sound; the simplified 抚 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 抚 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 養; 养 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 養 uses 羊 as a sound part and 食 as a meaning part.

Open 养 →

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
Family & Kinship

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