Chinese word

欠费

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiàn fèi

Meaning

  • verbowe fees

Example

这个月我又欠费了。zhè ge yuè wǒ yòu qiàn fèi le

I owe fees again this month.

Illustration for 欠费 (owe fees)

More examples

手机因为欠费被停机了。shǒu jī yīn wèi qiàn fèi bèi tíng jī le

The mobile phone was disconnected because of unpaid fees.

Core concept

A recurring service charge remains unpaid, leaving the account behind on its required payment.

Common phrases

  • 欠费了qiàn fèi le

    owe fees

  • 欠费一个月qiàn fèi yí gè yuè

    be one month behind on payments

  • 长期欠费cháng qī qiàn fèi

    be chronically behind on payments

Similar words

逾期yú qī: Has not made a payment by its due date.
没交méi jiāo: Has not paid a required fee or submitted a required document.
付不起fù bù qǐ: Cannot pay because there is not enough money.
欠钱qiàn qián: Owes money to a person or business and has not paid it yet.

Definition in Chinese

未按规定支付应付的周期性费用，常指电话、网络等服务的月费。wèi àn guī dìng zhī fù yìng fù de zhōu qī xìng fèi yòng cháng zhǐ diàn huà wǎng luò děng fú wù de yuè fèi

Word origin

欠 (qiàn, "owe") + 费 (fèi, "fee") combines an unpaid obligation with the charge itself, giving the word its service-billing sense.

Usage tips

  • In everyday service conversations, it usually points to a phone, internet, or similar recurring bill rather than a general personal debt.

Other meanings

  • miss paymentsverb
  • pay lateverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 欠费者qiàn fèi zhěperson with unpaid feesnoun
  • 欠费用户qiàn fèi yòng hùuser with unpaid feesnoun

Word lists with this word