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车钱 (chē qián) — fare (for a hired vehicle or public transport)

Definition

Money paid to ride a hired car, taxi, or bus — the passenger's fare. Note: 车费 is more common for public transport; 车钱 emphasizes the cash the rider hands over.

noun
fare (for a hired vehicle or public transport)

Examples

  • 车钱。
    Chū zū chē sī jī shuō chē qián shì wǔ shí kuài.
    The taxi driver said the fare is fifty yuan.
  • 车钱，。
    Zuò gōng jiāo chē bú yòng zhǔn bèi líng qián mǎi chē qián, shuā kǎ jiù kě yǐ.
    You don't need to prepare small change to buy a bus fare; just swipe your card.
  • 车钱，。
    Tā wàng le dài chē qián, zhǐ hǎo xiàng péng you jiè.
    He forgot to bring fare money, so he had to borrow from a friend.

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.

车chēvehicle
钱qiánmoney

钱 (money) for 车 (vehicle) gives the fare.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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 錢; 钱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal; gold; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān錢qián
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錢 combines 金, meaning metal or money, with 戔, which gives the sound; the simplified 钱 is a later shorthand.

Open 钱 →
Appears in
Money & CurrencyVehicles

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