花费 huāfèi expense
expense; cost; to spend (time or money); expenditure
How to remember 花费: 花 flower + 费 expenses = expense.
Characters
How it is used
- To spend time or money, and the expense itself - 花费很多时间 (huāfèi hěn duō shíjiān) spend a lot of time; 一大笔花费 a large outlay.
- Works as verb (花费 + amount) and noun (the cost incurred); slightly more formal than plain 花 (huā).
- Note it emphasizes the amount consumed, not a purchase price (that's 价钱/费用).
Example sentences
- 修理将要花费很多钱。 Xiūlǐ jiāngyào huāfèi hěnduō qián.Repairs will cost a lot of money.
- 我购买一本书花费了三十美元。 Wǒ gòumǎi yī běnshū huāfèi le sānshí měiyuán.I spent thirty dollars on a book.
- 你估计做那件事需要花费你多少时间呢？ Nǐ gūjì zuò nàjiànshì xūyào huāfèi nǐ duōshǎo shíjiān ne?How much time do you estimate it'll take you to do that?