经费

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 经费 (jīngfèi) is composed of two characters: 经 (jīng) and 费 (fèi). 经 originally meant "warp" in the context of weaving, and later extended to mean "constant", "regular", or "classic". 费 originally meant "to spend", "to consume", or "to waste". When combined, 经费 literally means "regular expenses" or "fixed expenditures". In modern Chinese, 经费 is used to refer to funds allocated for a specific purpose, such as a project, an organization, or an institution. It can also be used in a broader sense to refer to financial resources in general.