保管费 (bǎo guǎn fèi) — storage fee; storage charges

Definition

noun
storage feestorage charges
Measure word · 笔

Examples

  • 保管费。
    Zhè ge cāng kù de bǎo guǎn fèi měi yuè yào jiāo wǔ bǎi yuán.
    The storage fee for this warehouse is 500 yuan per month.
  • 保管费。
    Jì xíng li de shí hou yào fù bǎo guǎn fèi.
    You need to pay a storage fee when checking in luggage.
  • 保管费。
    bǎo guǎn fèi Yǐ jīng bāo hán zài zǒng jià lǐ le.
    The storage fee is already included in the total price.

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.

保管keeping safe
保bǎoprotect管guǎnmanage
联合Side by side
费fèifee

保管 refers to keeping items safe, and 费 is a charge, together naming a fee for storage.

Characters in this word

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

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

Open 保 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
官
官guān管guǎn
Same sound today

管 has 竹 (bamboo) on top to show it relates to bamboo, and 官 gives its sound.

Open 管 →

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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