消费 (xiāo fèi) — to consume in Mandarin
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#1201 most common word · HSK 5 · CEFR B2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
消费 is pronounced xiāo fèi. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Tāmen měi yuè xiāo fèi hěn duō.
They spend a lot each month.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 消费 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 消费 mean?+
消费 (xiāo fèi) means "to consume" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 消费?+
消费 is pronounced xiāo fèi. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 消费 in Mandarin?+
消费 is the #1201 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 消费 fits
Every HSK 5 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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