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浪费 (làng fèi) — to waste, to squander

Definition

The general everyday word for wasting or squandering resources (time, money, food). 糟蹋 and 挥霍 imply willful squandering of something valuable; 耗 and 耗费 focus on consumption, not wastefulness.

verb
to wasteto squander

Examples

  • 浪费。
    Bú yào làng fèi shí jiān.
    Don't waste time.
  • 浪费。
    Tā làng fèi le hěn duō qián.
    He wasted a lot of money.
  • 浪费。
    Wǒ men bù néng làng fèi zī yuán.
    We cannot waste resources.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

浪làngwaste
费fèispend

“浪” and “费” both point to spending or squandering, together meaning waste.

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shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
良
良liáng浪làng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

浪 pairs 水 (water) with 良, which supplies the sound. The water part points to its meaning of waves.

Open 浪 →

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
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