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费用 (fèi yong) — cost, expense, fee

Definition

费用 (fèiyòng) is the general noun for 'cost / expense / fee' — the everyday word for money spent. Concrete bills like 学费 or 话费 are types of 费用; 费 alone is the short form, usually for specific charges.

noun
costexpensefee
Measure word · 笔, 个

Examples

  • 费用？
    Zhè ge yuè de shǒu jī fèi yong shì duō shǎo?
    What is this month's phone bill?
  • 。
    Wǒ men yào jié shěng shēng huó fèi yong.
    We need to cut down on living expenses.
  • 费用。
    Zhè bǐ fèi yong yǐ jīng fù qīng le.
    This fee has been paid in full.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

费fèiexpense
用yònguse; outlay

费 and 用 both refer to spending or outlay, so together they mean cost or expense.

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.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 5Money & Currency5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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