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缴费 (jiǎo fèi) — to pay a fee (tuition, utility, membership, etc.)

Definition

缴费 means to pay a required fee — tuition, utilities, membership — usually in an official or institutional context. Pairs with 交 (jiao) when the verb-object split feels natural: 缴了费.

to pay a fee (tuition, utility, membership, etc.)

Examples

  • 缴费。
    Wǒ míng tiān qù yín háng jiǎo fèi.
    I'm going to the bank to pay the fee tomorrow.
  • ，。
    Wǒ yǐ jīng jiǎo le fèi, kě yǐ shàng kè le.
    I've already paid the fee and can attend class now.
  • 缴费？
    Zhè ge yuè de shuǐ diàn fèi nǐ jiǎo fèi le ma?
    Have you paid this month's utility bill?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

缴jiǎopay
费fèifee

缴 means pay and 费 means fee, to pay 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 繳; 缴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo繳jiǎo
Same sound today

The traditional form 繳 pairs 糸, silk, with 敫 for its sound; it meant raw silk thread. The simplified 缴 is a later shorthand.

Open 缴 →

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 & Currency

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