noun / verb HSK 4
Traditional 費
fee · expense · to cost · to spend · to consume
Meaning
费 refers to money spent or charged for something, or the act of spending/consuming resources. As a noun, it means 'fee' or 'expense.' As a verb, it means 'to cost' or 'to spend/waste' (time, effort, money).
Usage
费 is extremely common in compound words for various types of fees and expenses (学费, 电费, 水费). As a standalone verb, it often appears in patterns like 费时间 (waste time) or 费力 (require effort). It's neutral in register and used in both spoken and written Chinese.
Examples
- 01这所大学的学费很贵。.The tuition at this university is very expensive.
- 02做这件事太费时间了。.Doing this takes too much time.
Measure words
- 笔一笔费用
Common collocations
- 学费tuition fee
- 电费electricity bill
- 水费water bill
- 费时间to waste/take time
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 費 is a phonetic-semantic compound. The character originally depicted cowrie shells (贝), which were used as currency in ancient China, combined with a phonetic element, indicating money or expense.