住宿费 (zhù sù fèi) — accommodation fee, lodging cost

Definition

noun
accommodation feelodging cost

Examples

  • 住宿费。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng de zhù sù fèi shì měi rén wǔ bǎi yuán.
    The accommodation fee for this trip is 500 yuan per person.
  • 住宿费。
    Jiǔ diàn zhù sù fèi yǐ jīng bāo hán zài zǒng jià lǐ le.
    The hotel accommodation fee is already included in the total price.
  • 住宿费。
    Xué xiào yāo qiú xīn shēng tí qián jiāo zhù sù fèi.
    The school requires new students to pay the accommodation fee in advance.

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.

住宿lodging
住zhùstay宿sùlodge
联合Side by side
费fèifee

住宿费 pairs 住宿 (lodging) with 费 (fee) to mean a charge for staying overnight.

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
主
主zhǔ住zhù
Same sound today

住 pairs 亻, the person radical (written fully as 人), with 主, which supplies the sound.

Open 住 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 人人rénperson
  • 囗囗wéibamboo mat

The shape comes from an old drawing of 人, a person, resting on a mat.

Open 宿 →

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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