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加班费 (jiā bān fèi) — overtime pay

Definition

noun
overtime pay

Examples

  • 加班费。
    Gōng sī zhè ge yuè fā le sān qiān kuài jiā bān fèi.
    The company paid three thousand yuan in overtime pay this month.
  • 加班费？
    Nǐ jì de gēn lǎo bǎn tán jiā bān fèi zěn me suàn ma?
    Do you remember discussing with the boss how overtime pay is calculated?
  • 。
    Zhōu mò jiā bān yīng gāi yǒu shuāng bèi jiā bān fèi.
    Working overtime on weekends should come with double overtime pay.

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.

加班work overtime
加jiāadd班bānshift
动宾Verb + object
费fèifee

加班 (extra work) plus 费 (fee) means money paid for working beyond regular hours.

Characters in this word

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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

  • 珏珏juépieces of jade
  • 刀刀dāoknife

班 shows 珏, pieces of jade, and 刀, a knife, cutting them into pieces.

Open 班 →

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 & CurrencyWorkplace & Office

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