About
费, the simplified form of the traditional character 費, is a phono-semantic compound made up of the phonetic component 弗 and the semantic component 贝. The latter, a stylized drawing of a cowrie shell, evokes currency and wealth, anchoring the character's meaning in financial transactions and the spending of resources. In the traditional structure, 弗 rests above 贝, clearly marking the pronunciation and the semantic domain. From this concrete starting point, the character's usage grew to cover the spending, costing, or consuming of not only money and material goods but also intangible assets, such as physical energy, time, and mental effort, capturing any kind of outlay or waste.
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Example Sentences Hide
电话费很贵。
他每个月都要交水费。
不要浪费食物。
学习外语需要费时间。
这个项目费了很多心血。
办理签证手续很费事。
为了省钱，他费尽心思找优惠。
这项研究耗费了大量的人力物力。
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