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计费 (jì fèi) — to calculate the cost / to charge (for a service)

Definition

A verb-object phrase used in telecom, utilities, and digital services meaning 'to calculate/charge a fee'. Implies an automatic or system-level billing process rather than a person deciding a price.

verb
to calculate the cost / to charge (for a service)

Examples

  • 计费。
    Zhè ge tào cān de jì fèi fāng shì shì àn liú liàng suàn de.
    The billing method for this plan is calculated by data usage.
  • 。
    Tā men měi gè yuè zhī jì yí cì fèi.
    They only charge once a month.
  • ，。
    Fú wù yǐ jīng jì guō fèi le, qǐng fàng xīn shǐ yòng.
    The service has already been billed, please feel free to use it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

计jìcalculate
费fèifee

计 means to calculate, and 费 means cost or fee, so the word means calculating a charge.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 計; 计 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 計 pairs 言 (say) with 十 (all). The simplified 计 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical shape.

Open 计 →

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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