治疗费 (zhì liáo fèi) — medical expenses; treatment costs

Definition

noun
medical expensestreatment costs

Examples

  • 治疗费。
    Zhè cì zhù yuàn de zhì liáo fèi yí gòng huā le wǔ qiān kuài.
    The medical expenses for this hospitalization totaled five thousand yuan.
  • 治疗费。
    Gōng sī kě yǐ bào xiāo yí bù fen zhì liáo fèi.
    The company can reimburse part of the treatment costs.
  • 治疗费?
    Yī bǎo néng fù gài dà bù fen zhì liáo fèi ma?
    Can medical insurance cover most of the treatment costs?

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.

治疗treatment
治zhìtreat疗liáocure
联合Side by side

治 and 疗 both mean treat or cure, and 费 means fee; together they name a fee for treatment.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái治zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

治 has 水 (water) and 台; 台 gives the sound, and the character named a river.

Open 治 →

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 療; 疗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo療liáo
Same sound today

The traditional form 療 has 疒 for disease and 尞 for the sound; the simplified 疗 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical ones.

Open 疗 →

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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