费 (fèi) — (verb) to spend, to consume (time, effort, or money); (noun) fee, charge, expense
Definition
费 (fèi) is a short, single-character verb/noun for spending time, effort, or money. Use 费用 as the noun form for 'fees/expenses'; 花费 is a longer synonym for spending time or money.
verb
to spendto consume (time, effort, or money)
noun
feechargeexpense
Examples
- 费。Tā wèi le kǎo shì fèi le hěn duō lì qi.He spent a lot of effort on the exam.
- 。Zhè ge yuè de shuǐ diàn fèi yǐ jīng jiāo le.The utility bills for this month have been paid.
- ，。Wǒ yào jiāo xué fèi, suǒ yǐ xū yào cún qián.I have to pay tuition, so I need to save money.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
Appears in
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