kāizhī: 开支 - Expense, Expenditure, Spending

• Keywords: kaizhi, 开支, expense in Chinese, expenditure, spending, cost, outlay, how to say expenses in Chinese, daily expenses, household expenses, cut spending, business expenditure, personal finance China
• Summary: Learn how to talk about money with the essential Chinese word 开支 (kāizhī), which means “expense,” “expenditure,” or “spending.” This page breaks down its meaning, cultural context, and practical use in everyday life and business, from managing your household budget to discussing company costs. Discover the difference between 开支, 费用, and 成本 with clear examples designed for English-speaking learners.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): kāizhī
• Part of Speech: Noun, Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: The money paid out for goods and services; an expense or expenditure.
• In a Nutshell: 开支 (kāizhī) is your go-to, neutral term for the money you spend. It covers everything that comes out of your wallet or bank account, whether it's for your personal life (groceries, rent, entertainment) or for running a business (salaries, supplies, utilities). Think of it as the general category for all “outgoings” in a budget.

• 开 (kāi): This character's primary meaning is “to open,” “to start,” or “to initiate.” You can picture it as opening your wallet or starting a transaction.
• 支 (zhī): This character means “to support” or “to pay out.” In financial contexts, it specifically refers to disbursement or payment.
• The two characters combine quite literally: “to open and pay out” (开 + 支), perfectly capturing the idea of an expense or expenditure.

The concept of managing 开支 (kāizhī) is deeply woven into Chinese culture, which traditionally values frugality (节约 - jiéyuē) and careful financial planning. Unlike some Western cultures that may place a higher emphasis on consumerism, traditional Chinese thought often views controlling one's 开支 as a virtue and a sign of responsibility. For a family, keeping 家庭开支 (jiātíng kāizhī)—household expenses—low is a way to build savings for major life events like education, property, or retirement. This isn't just about being “cheap”; it's about being prudent and ensuring long-term stability for the family unit. Similarly, in business, a manager who can effectively 控制开支 (kòngzhì kāizhī)—control expenses—is highly respected. This cultural emphasis on thrift means that discussions about 开支 are common and considered a normal part of responsible living.

开支 (kāizhī) is an extremely practical and common word used in various contexts, from casual chats to formal reports.

• As a Noun (the expense itself): This is its most common usage. It refers to the sum of money spent.
  • `这个月的开支太大了。` (This month's expenses were too high.)
  • `我们需要削减公司的开支。` (We need to cut the company's expenditures.)
• As a Verb (to spend/pay): While less common than as a noun, it can be used as a verb meaning “to pay out” or “to cover an expense,” often in more formal or business settings.
  • `这笔钱用来开支员工的工资。` (This money is used to pay the employees' salaries.)
• Common Collocations:
  • 日常开支 (rìcháng kāizhī): Daily expenses
  • 家庭开支 (jiātíng kāizhī): Household expenses
  • 个人开支 (gèrén kāizhī): Personal expenses
  • 减少开支 (jiǎnshǎo kāizhī): To reduce/cut expenses
  • 控制开支 (kòngzhì kāizhī): To control expenses
  • 开支很大 (kāizhī hěn dà): The expenses are very large.

• Example 1:
  • 我们必须想办法减少每月的开支。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen bìxū xiǎng bànfǎ jiǎnshǎo měi yuè de kāizhī.
  • English: We must find a way to reduce our monthly expenses.
  • Analysis: A very common and practical sentence about personal or family budgeting. `减少开支` is a set phrase.
• Example 2:
  • 最近生活成本增加了，所以我们的家庭开支也变多了。
  • Pinyin: Zuìjìn shēnghuó chéngběn zēngjiā le, suǒyǐ wǒmen de jiātíng kāizhī yě biàn duō le.
  • English: Recently, the cost of living has increased, so our household expenses have also gone up.
  • Analysis: This example connects the concept of “cost of living” to `家庭开支` (household expenses), a very common pairing.
• Example 3:
  • 公司的主要开支是员工的工资和办公室的租金。
  • Pinyin: Gōngsī de zhǔyào kāizhī shì yuángōng de gōngzī hé bàngōngshì de zūjīn.
  • English: The company's main expenditures are employee salaries and office rent.
  • Analysis: This shows how `开支` is used in a business context to refer to major outlays.
• Example 4:
  • 你能估算一下这次旅行的总开支吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ néng gūsuàn yīxià zhè cì lǚxíng de zǒng kāizhī ma?
  • English: Can you estimate the total expenses for this trip?
  • Analysis: Here, `开支` is used to ask about the total cost of a specific event or project.
• Example 5:
  • 为了省钱，他记录自己的每一笔开支。
  • Pinyin: Wèi le shěng qián, tā jìlù zìjǐ de měi yī bǐ kāizhī.
  • English: In order to save money, he records every single one of his expenses.
  • Analysis: `一笔开支` means “an expense” or “a transaction.” `笔 (bǐ)` is the measure word for sums of money or transactions.
• Example 6:
  • 政府宣布将增加在教育方面的开支。
  • Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ xuānbù jiāng zēngjiā zài jiàoyù fāngmiàn de kāizhī.
  • English: The government announced it will increase spending in the area of education.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the use of `开支` in a formal, governmental context.
• Example 7:
  • 和朋友合租可以分摊生活开支。
  • Pinyin: Hé péngyǒu hézū kěyǐ fēntān shēnghuó kāizhī.
  • English: Living with a friend can help share the living expenses.
  • Analysis: `生活开支` (living expenses) is another key collocation.
• Example 8:
  • 除了固定开支以外，我每个月还有一些意外开支。
  • Pinyin: Chúle gùdìng kāizhī yǐwài, wǒ měi gè yuè háiyǒu yīxiē yìwài kāizhī.
  • English: Besides fixed expenses, I also have some unexpected expenses every month.
  • Analysis: This shows how you can qualify `开支` with adjectives like `固定` (fixed) and `意外` (unexpected).
• Example 9:
  • 这家公司的开支预算非常紧张。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī de kāizhī yùsuàn fēicháng jǐnzhāng.
  • English: This company's expense budget is very tight.
  • Analysis: Shows the relationship between `开支` (expense) and `预算` (budget).
• Example 10:
  • 医疗开支占了他收入的很大一部分。
  • Pinyin: Yīliáo kāizhī zhàn le tā shōurù de hěn dà yī bùfen.
  • English: Medical expenses account for a large portion of his income.
  • Analysis: A great example of how to talk about a specific category of spending (`医疗开支`) in relation to income (`收入`).

A major challenge for learners is distinguishing 开支 (kāizhī) from similar-sounding words like `费用 (fèiyòng)` and `成本 (chéngběn)`. They are not interchangeable.

• 开支 (kāizhī): General Expenses/Expenditure. This is the broadest term. It refers to the total outflow of money. Think of it as the sum of all your `费用`.
  • Correct: 我这个月的总开支是五千块。(My total expenses this month were 5000 yuan.)
• 费用 (fèiyòng): Fees/Costs for a specific service. This is more specific than `开支`. It refers to money paid for a particular purpose or service.
  • Examples: 学费 (xuéfèi, tuition fee), 手续费 (shǒuxùfèi, processing fee), 运费 (yùnfèi, shipping fee).
  • Incorrect: 我这个月的总费用是五千块。 (This sounds unnatural. You would use `开支` for the grand total.)
  • Correct: 这次的服务费用是多少？(What is the service fee for this?)
• 成本 (chéngběn): Prime Cost/Cost of Production. This is a business and economics term. It refers to the money spent to create a product or service (raw materials, labor, etc.). You don't use it for personal daily spending.
  • Incorrect: 我买菜的成本是五十块。 (This is wrong. Buying groceries is a personal expense, not a production cost.)
  • Correct: 这件衣服的生产成本很低。(The production cost of this piece of clothing is very low.)

In short: Your total 开支 (kāizhī) is made up of various 费用 (fèiyòng). The 成本 (chéngběn) is what a company pays to produce the item you bought.

• 费用 (fèiyòng) - Fee, cost for a specific service. A component of `开支`.
• 成本 (chéngběn) - Prime cost, production cost. A specific business term, not for personal spending.
• 支出 (zhīchū) - Expenditure. A slightly more formal synonym for `开支`.
• 收入 (shōurù) - Income. The direct opposite of `开支`.
• 花钱 (huā qián) - To spend money. A very common and colloquial verb phrase. `开支` is often the noun form of this action.
• 消费 (xiāofèi) - To consume; consumption. Refers to the act of using goods and services.
• 预算 (yùsuàn) - Budget. A plan for how you will manage your `收入` and `开支`.
• 节约 (jiéyuē) - To save, to be frugal. The action taken to reduce `开支`.
• 账单 (zhàngdān) - Bill. A document detailing the `费用` you need to pay, which then becomes part of your `开支`.