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稿费 (gǎo fèi) — payment for written work (articles, books, etc.); royalty; author's remuneration

Definition

noun
payment for written work (articles, books, etc.)royaltyauthor's remuneration
Measure word · 笔

Examples

  • 稿费。
    Tā měi gè yuè kào xiě wén zhāng zhuàn bù shǎo gǎo fèi.
    He earns quite a lot of money each month by writing articles.
  • 稿费。
    Chū bǎn shè bǎ gǎo fèi huì dào le wǒ de yín háng zhàng hù.
    The publisher remitted the royalty to my bank account.
  • ，稿费。
    Tā jiān chí le sān nián, zhōng yú ná dào le yì bǐ kě guān de gǎo fèi.
    She persisted for three years and finally received a considerable payment for her writing.

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.

稿gǎomanuscript/written work
费fèifee

'稿' refers to a manuscript or written work, and '费' means fee, so it is payment for written work.

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
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
高
高gāo稿
Same sound today

稿 is built from 禾, which carries the meaning, and 高, which supplies the pronunciation.

Open 稿 →

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
Money & CurrencyReading & Writing

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