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消费 (xiāo fèi) — to spend (money); to consume (resources, energy, etc.)

Definition

消费 covers both spending money (shopping) and using up resources like electricity — broader than 花费 (mostly money/time) and 耗 (resources only). Common in 消费者/消费品 as the 'consumer' base word.

verb
to spend (money)to consume (resources, energy, etc.)

Examples

  • 消费。
    Tā měi gè yuè zài chī fàn shàng xiāo fèi hěn duō qián.
    He spends a lot of money on food every month.
  • 消费。
    Kāi kōng tiáo huì xiāo fèi hěn duō diàn.
    Running the air conditioner consumes a lot of electricity.
  • 消费。
    Tā xǐ huan zài shāng chǎng xiāo fèi.
    She likes to spend money at the mall.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

消xiāoconsume
费fèispend

消 means to consume, and 费 means to spend or use up, together expressing consumption.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào消xiāo
Same sound today

消 has 氵 (water) beside 肖. The water part connects to putting out or making something vanish, and 肖 gives the sound.

Open 消 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Economy & Trade

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