水费 (shuǐ fèi) — water bill (charge for water usage) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

water bill (charge for water usage)

Examples

水费？
Zhè ge yuè de shuǐ fèi nǐ jiāo le ma?
Have you paid this month's water bill?
水费。
shuǐ fèi Měi gè yuè dōu yào àn shí jiāo.
The water bill must be paid on time every month.
，水费。
Yīn wèi yòng shuǐ tài duō, zhè ge yuè de shuǐ fèi bǐ shàng ge yuè guì.
Because we used too much water, this month's water bill is more expensive than last month's.

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.

The character for water specifies the fee paid for water use.

Characters in this word

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

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.

Appears in

Money & Currency

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