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收费 (shōu fèi) — to charge a fee (for a service, entrance, etc.)

Definition

收费 means 'to charge a fee' — the verb form for what a business does (parking, service, admission). 费 is the noun 'fee/charge'; 收取 is a more formal verb meaning 'to collect' money.

verb
to charge a fee (for a service, entrance, etc.)

Examples

  • 收费。
    Zhè ge shāng diàn bù shōu fèi.
    This store doesn't charge a fee.
  • 收费？
    Zài zhè lǐ tíng chē yào bú yào shōu fèi?
    Is there a fee for parking here?
  • 收费。
    Tā men de fú wù shōu fèi tài gāo le.
    Their service charges are too high.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

收shōucollect
费fèifee

收 means collect and 费 means fee, so 收费 means to charge a fee.

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
丩
丩jiū收shōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

收 uses 攴 to show an action and 丩 as a sound clue; the old meaning was 'to arrest.'

Open 收 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 4Money & Currency

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