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费时 (fèi shí) — to take time, to be time-consuming

Definition

费时 describes an activity that consumes a lot of time — 'time-consuming, laborious'. As a predicate it often takes an object (费了很多时间) or appears as an attribute (费时的任务).

verb
to take timeto be time-consuming

Examples

  • 费时。
    Zuò zhè jiàn shì hěn fèi shí.
    Doing this thing is very time-consuming.
  • ，。
    Wèi le zhè ge xiàng mù, wǒ fèi le hěn duō shí.
    For this project, I spent a lot of time.
  • 费时，。
    Zhè ge rèn wu tài fèi shí le, wǒ bù xiǎng zuò.
    This task is too time-consuming; I don't want to do it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

费fèispend
时shítime

费 means to spend, and 时 means time, so 费时 describes spending or consuming time.

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 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 →

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 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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