费用 fèiyong cost
cost; expenditure; expense
How to remember 费用: 费 expenses + 用 to use (Kangxi radical 101) = cost.
Characters
How it is used
- A formal noun for cost tied to an activity or service, not money in general.
- 旅行费用 (travel expenses), 医疗费用 (medical costs), 手续费用 (handling fee) - always paired with what the cost is for.
- Different from 钱 (money, generic) and 价格 (the price tag of one item) - 费用 is the total expense of doing something.
- Common in business, billing, and official writing rather than casual chat.
Example sentences
- 他计算费用。 Tā jìsuàn fèiyòng.He calculated the expenses.
- 每天费用多少？ Měitiān fèiyòng duōshǎo?What's the daily fee?
- 如果必要的话，我不反对付特别费用。 Rúguǒ bìyào dehuà, wǒ bù fǎn duìfù tèbié fèiyòng.I have no objection to paying a special fee if it is necessary.