费用
fèiyòng · HSK 3
expense
💰 费 = spend/fee + 用 = use → expense (what you use up paying)
费 (fèi) means to spend or a fee; 用 (yòng) means to use. Together, the cost or expense — literally the money used up. Same 费 appears in 学费 (tuition) and 免费 (free of charge).
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.'
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.