hou3 fai3耗費耗费
Jyutpinghou3 fai3
Yalehou fai
Definition
To spend or consume resources like money, time, or energy.
neutralmoneywork
How it's used
Focuses on the significant expenditure of resources, often implying a sense of drain or heavy consumption. While it can refer to money, it is frequently used for time, energy, or materials in a way that suggests a depletion of reserves. It carries a more formal or serious tone compared to everyday verbs like 使 or 用.
Examples
Organizing this event cost a lot of money.
Do you know how much this plan costs?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often use it interchangeably with common verbs like 使, but it sounds overly formal or dramatic in casual conversation about small daily expenses. It is better reserved for projects, large-scale budgets, or significant investments of effort.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
