耗资 (hào zī) — to spend (a large sum of money), to cost (in formal/institutional contexts)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to cost / spend (a large sum of money)', used in news, reports, and institutional contexts about projects or construction — not everyday spending.

verb
to spend (a large sum of money)to cost (in formal/institutional contexts)

Examples

  • 耗资，。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù hào zī jù dà, xū yào zhèng fǔ zhī chí.
    This project costs a huge amount and needs government support.
  • 。
    Gōng sī hào jù zī xiū jiàn le zhè zuò dà lóu.
    The company spent a huge sum to build this building.
  • 耗资，。
    Zhè zuò qiáo hào zī wǔ yì yuán, lì shí sān nián jiàn chéng.
    This bridge cost 500 million yuan and took three years to build.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

耗hàoexpend
资zīfunds

耗 (expend) + 资 (funds) gives the sense of spending a large sum of money.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 耗 →

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 資; 资 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell-money
Sound part声符shēngfú
次
次cì資zī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 資 puts 次 above 貝, a shell-money sign, to write property or resource; 次 supplies the sound. The simplified 资 is a shorthand, so do not treat its parts as historical.

Open 资 →

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