开销 (kāi xiāo) — (verb) to pay expenses; (noun) expenses

Definition

开销 covers both the act of paying and the expenses themselves, and works in everyday or organizational contexts. 支出 and 开支 are more formal/written for accounting; 开支 is countable by 笔. Contrast with reducing costs: 削减 or 裁 (staff/expenses).

verb

to pay expenses

noun

expenses

Examples

开销。
Jiā tíng kāi xiāo zhǔ yào huā zài shí wù hé fáng zū shàng.
Household expenses mainly go on food and rent.
开销。
Gōng sī kāi xiāo le zhè cì huó dòng de quán bù fèi yòng.
The company paid all expenses for this event.
开销，。
Rú guǒ nǐ jiǎn shǎo bú bì yào de kāi xiāo, jiù néng cún xià gèng duō qián.
If you reduce unnecessary expenses, you can save more money.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

开kāipay out

销xiāoconsume; spend

开 and 销 both relate to paying out and consuming, so the word denotes expenses.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 開; 开 is its simplified writing.

門一廾開

門門méndoor
一一yīlatch and/or wooden pole that shuts a door
廾廾gǒnga pair of hands

The traditional form 開 shows 廾, a pair of hands, and 一, a latch or pole, inside 門, a door: hands opening a latched door. The simplified 开 is a shorthand form, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 开 →

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 銷; 销 is its simplified writing.

金肖銷

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

肖

肖xiào銷xiāo

Same sound today

The traditional form 銷 pairs 金 (metal) with 肖 as a sound part; simplified 销 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not historical components.

Open 销 →