免费
miǎnfèi · HSK 4
free of charge
🆓 免费 = exempt + fee → no fee to pay
免 means exempt or excuse, and 费 means fee or expense. Put together, 免费 literally says the fee is waived — so it means free of charge, gratis, no payment required.
免 — pictograph of a person 人 with a hat or helmet
免 originally depicted a person wearing a hat or helmet, suggesting removal or taking off. The meaning shifted to 'avoid, exempt, escape from' — as in escaping a duty or being spared. It is graphically related to 兔 (rabbit), but the two characters have distinct origins.
费 — 弓 bow + 弗 (phonetic 'fú/fèi')
费 is a phono-semantic compound. The bottom 贝 (cowrie shell, ancient money) gives the meaning 'cost/expense,' while 弗 on top supplies the sound. Originally it referred to spending money or wasting resources, and today it means 'fee,' 'expense,' or 'to consume.'