欠费 (qiàn fèi) — arrears; outstanding balance; amount owed (for a service or bill)

Definition

欠费 (qiàn fèi) is a noun meaning the specific outstanding amount owed for a service like phone, water, or electricity — not money owed in general. Contrast with 欠款, which covers any unpaid debt (loans, contracts, etc.).

noun
arrearsoutstanding balanceamount owed (for a service or bill)

Examples

  • 欠费，。
    Nǐ de shǒu jī yǐ jīng qiàn fèi le, qǐng jǐn kuài chōng zhí.
    Your phone is already in arrears; please top up as soon as possible.
  • 欠费。
    Zhè ge yuè de shuǐ diàn qiàn fèi yí gòng sān bǎi yuán.
    The outstanding water and electricity bills for this month total three hundred yuan.
  • 欠费，。
    Rú guǒ cháng qī bù jiāo qiàn fèi, kě néng huì bèi tíng zhǐ fú wù.
    If you don't pay the arrears for a long time, the service may be suspended.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

欠qiànowe
费fèifee

“欠” means to owe and “费” means a fee, so the word names an unpaid charge.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

欠 is a kneeling person with an open mouth, shown in actions such as begging, speaking, blowing, singing, or being tired.

Open 欠 →

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 →

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