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车费 (chē fèi) — fare (for a taxi, bus, train, etc.)

Definition

noun
fare (for a taxi, bus, train, etc.)

Examples

  • 车费？
    Cóng jī chǎng dào jiǔ diàn chē fèi shì duō shǎo?
    How much is the fare from the airport to the hotel?
  • 车费。
    Wǒ měi gè yuè huā hěn duō chē fèi.
    I spend a lot on transportation fares every month.
  • 车费。
    Zuò dì tiě bǐ dǎ chē chē fèi pián yi.
    Taking the subway is cheaper than taking a taxi.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

车chēvehicle
费fèifee

车 refers to a vehicle and 费 means fee, so the word is the fare for a ride.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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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