耗费
hào fèi · HSK 7
to spend
💸⏳ 耗 consume + 费 expense = to use up and spend; squander cost and time
费 is the same fèi as in 费用 (expenses) and 浪费 (waste). 耗 carries the sense of draining or depleting, so 耗费 stacks two cost words to mean spending or burning through money, energy, or time.
耗 — 耒 plow + 毛 hair/fur
Originally written with 耒 (plow) as the semantic component and 毛 (hair) as the phonetic, suggesting the wearing down or consumption of farming tools through use. The meaning extended from depleting resources to the broader senses of 'consume,' 'waste,' and 'news/tidings' (as in 噩耗).
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.'