浪费
làngfèi · HSK 3
waste
💸🌊 浪费 = waves (浪) + spend (费): spending like ocean waves crashing away
浪 means waves and 费 means to spend or fee. Together they describe spending resources as carelessly as waves break on shore — wasting or squandering. The 氵 water radical in 浪 reinforces the flowing-away sense.
浪 — water radical 氵 + 良 (good/phonetic)
浪 is a phono-semantic compound: 氵 (water) gives the meaning and 良 supplies the sound. It originally referred to waves on water, then extended figuratively to anything surging, unrestrained, or wandering — hence modern senses like 'wave,' 'wasteful,' or 'dissolute.'
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.'