费fèi
Character evolution
费
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Simplified · Today
繁体
Traditional Chinese
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Shuowen
Expense. The character 费 (traditional 費) is formed from 贝 (shell, money) and 弗 (phonetic), indicating the use of money. Oracle bone inscriptions show a shell beside the 弗 element, giving the original sense of spending or disbursement. The pairing of money with a phonetic sign explains why 费 means cost or to expend.
Pinyin
fèi· HSK 2