Definition
耗费 (hào fèi) means 'to consume or expend significant resources' (time, money, energy) and is neutral — it doesn't imply waste. This sets it apart from 浪费 (làng fèi) 'to waste,' which is always negative, and from 消耗 (xiāo hào) 'to use up,' which focuses on gradual depletion rather than large-scale outlay. The shorter 耗 (hào) is a colloquial synonym often used in speech.
verb
to consumeto expend (resources in significant amounts)
Examples
- 耗费。Zhège gōngchéng hào fèi le dàliàng zījīn.This project consumed a large amount of funds.
- 耗费，。Nǐ zhèyàng zuò huì hào fèi hěn duō jīnglì, bùrú huàn ge fāngfǎ.Doing this will expend a lot of energy — it's better to try another approach.
- 耗费。Bú yào zài bù zhòngyào de shìqing shàng hào fèi tài duō shíjiān.Don't spend too much time on unimportant things.
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