méiqìfèi: 煤气费 - Gas Bill, Gas Fee

• Keywords: 煤气费, meiqifei, gas bill in Chinese, pay gas fee China, utility bills China, how to say gas bill in Chinese, Chinese household expenses, 生活费, natural gas fee, 水电费.
• Summary: 煤气费 (méiqìfèi) is the essential Chinese term for “gas bill” or “gas fee,” a common household utility expense. This page explains the meaning of 煤气费, breaks down its characters, and shows you how to use it in everyday conversations about rent, roommates, and paying bills in modern China. Understanding this term is crucial for anyone living in China, as it's a fundamental part of managing daily life and household expenses (生活费).

• Pinyin (with tone marks): méiqìfèi
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 3 (composed of HSK 1-3 characters)
• Concise Definition: The fee or bill for household gas (used for cooking, heating, and hot water).
• In a Nutshell: 煤气费 is a straightforward and practical word for one of the main utility bills you'll encounter in China. Just like in English-speaking countries, it's a regular expense for any apartment or house. It's often discussed alongside the water bill (水费) and the electricity bill (电费). If you're renting, you'll frequently need to ask if the 煤气费 is included in your rent.

• 煤 (méi): Coal. This character is associated with fuel and energy sources that are burned. Its top part (某) provides the sound, and the bottom part (火) means “fire,” indicating its connection to burning.
• 气 (qì): Gas, air, steam, or spirit. In this context, it simply means “gas.”
• 费 (fèi): Fee, cost, expense. This character appears in many words related to money and spending, such as 学费 (xuéfèi, tuition fee) and 浪费 (làngfèi, to waste).

The characters literally combine to mean “coal gas fee.” While modern homes primarily use natural gas (天然气), the term 煤气 has stuck around as the common, everyday word for the utility gas used in homes.

The term 煤气费 itself doesn't carry deep philosophical meaning, but its context reveals a lot about modern Chinese life. The process of paying it highlights a significant cultural and technological difference from the West. In the past, paying the 煤气费 required a trip to the bank or post office, waiting in line to pay in cash—a common scene of daily life. Today, this has been almost entirely replaced by mobile payment apps. The act of “paying the gas bill” (交煤气费) is now a few taps on a smartphone using apps like Alipay (支付宝 zhīfùbǎo) or WeChat Pay (微信支付 wēixìn zhīfù). This contrasts with the common American/Western methods of mailing a check or setting up automatic bank withdrawals. In China, the mobile payment revolution has made managing household utilities incredibly convenient and centralized on one's phone. Discussing the 煤气费 is a very grounded, practical aspect of “adulting” and managing a household, a universal experience but done with uniquely modern Chinese tools.

煤气费 is a neutral, everyday term used in all informal and most formal contexts when discussing household utilities.

• Talking with Landlords: When renting an apartment, one of the first questions you'll ask is whether utilities are included.
  • e.g., “房租包不包括煤气费？” (fángzū bāo bù bāokuò méiqìfèi? - Does the rent include the gas bill?)
• Discussing with Roommates: It's a common topic when splitting monthly expenses.
  • e.g., “这个月的煤气费我们平分吧。” (zhège yuè de méiqìfèi wǒmen píngfēn ba - Let's split this month's gas bill.)
• Personal Reminders: It's used when talking about personal errands and responsibilities.
  • e.g., “我得提醒自己去交煤气费。” (wǒ děi tíxǐng zìjǐ qù jiāo méiqìfèi - I have to remind myself to pay the gas bill.)

• Example 1:
  • 哎呀，我忘了交煤气费，现在没热水了！
  • Pinyin: Āiyā, wǒ wàngle jiāo méiqìfèi, xiànzài méi rèshuǐ le!
  • English: Oh no, I forgot to pay the gas bill, and now there's no hot water!
  • Analysis: A very common and practical sentence. In many Chinese apartments, hot water is heated by a gas-powered unit, so an unpaid gas bill directly affects daily comfort.
• Example 2:
  • 这个月的煤气费是多少钱？
  • Pinyin: Zhège yuè de méiqìfèi shì duōshǎo qián?
  • English: How much is the gas bill for this month?
  • Analysis: A standard question you would ask a roommate, family member, or landlord.
• Example 3:
  • 你可以在微信上直接支付煤气费，非常方便。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ kěyǐ zài Wēixìn shàng zhíjiē zhīfù méiqìfèi, fēicháng fāngbiàn.
  • English: You can pay the gas bill directly on WeChat; it's very convenient.
  • Analysis: This highlights the modern, tech-integrated way of life in China. 支付 (zhīfù) means “to pay.”
• Example 4:
  • 房东说，房租不包括水电费和煤气费。
  • Pinyin: Fángdōng shuō, fángzū bù bāokuò shuǐdiànfèi hé méiqìfèi.
  • English: The landlord said the rent does not include the water, electricity, and gas bills.
  • Analysis: 水电费 (shuǐdiànfèi) is a common abbreviation for 水费 (water bill) and 电费 (electricity bill). This is a crucial sentence for anyone renting an apartment.
• Example 5:
  • 冬天开暖气，煤气费会高很多。
  • Pinyin: Dōngtiān kāi nuǎnqì, méiqìfèi huì gāo hěn duō.
  • English: The gas bill will be much higher in the winter from turning on the heat.
  • Analysis: This explains a common cause for a high gas bill. 暖气 (nuǎnqì) is “heating.”
• Example 6:
  • 这是煤气费的账单，你看一下。
  • Pinyin: Zhè shì méiqìfèi de zhàngdān, nǐ kàn yīxià.
  • English: This is the bill for the gas fee, please take a look.
  • Analysis: Introduces the word 账单 (zhàngdān), which means “bill” or “invoice” (the physical or digital document).
• Example 7:
  • 我们两个人住，每个月的煤气费大概五十块。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen liǎng ge rén zhù, měi ge yuè de méiqìfèi dàgài wǔshí kuài.
  • English: With the two of us living here, the gas bill is about 50 RMB per month.
  • Analysis: Shows how to discuss the approximate cost of the bill. 大概 (dàgài) means “approximately.”
• Example 8:
  • 如果你不按时交煤气费，他们会把你的煤气停掉。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ nǐ bù ànshí jiāo méiqìfèi, tāmen huì bǎ nǐ de méiqì tíng diào.
  • English: If you don't pay the gas bill on time, they will shut off your gas.
  • Analysis: A useful warning sentence. 按时 (ànshí) means “on time” and 停掉 (tíng diào) means “to shut off.”
• Example 9:
  • 这个季度的煤气费比上个季度便宜。
  • Pinyin: Zhège jìdù de méiqìfèi bǐ shàng ge jìdù piányi.
  • English: This quarter's gas bill is cheaper than last quarter's.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates using 比 (bǐ) to make a comparison. 季度 (jìdù) means “quarter” (of a year).
• Example 10:
  • 我把所有生活费，比如煤气费和网费，都设置了自动付款。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bǎ suǒyǒu shēnghuófèi, bǐrú méiqìfèi hé wǎngfèi, dōu shèzhì le zìdòng fùkuǎn.
  • English: I've set up automatic payments for all my living expenses, like the gas bill and the internet bill.
  • Analysis: A more advanced sentence structure using 把 (bǎ). It shows 煤气费 as one of several living expenses (生活费).

• 煤气 (méiqì) vs. 汽油 (qìyóu): This is the most common mistake for learners.
  • 煤气 (méiqì): Gas for your house (cooking, heating).
  • 汽油 (qìyóu): Gasoline for your car.
  • Incorrect: 我要去加油站交煤气费。 (I'm going to the gas station to pay my house gas bill.)
  • Correct: 我要去加油站加油。 (I'm going to the gas station to get gas.) And, 我要用手机交煤气费。 (I'm going to pay the house gas bill with my phone.)
• 煤气 (méiqì) vs. 天然气 (tiānránqì):
  • 煤气 (méiqì): The general, common term for household utility gas.
  • 天然气 (tiānránqì): “Natural gas.” This is the more technically accurate term for what's in the pipes today.
  • In everyday conversation, they are often used interchangeably. You can say “天然气费” and everyone will understand you, but “煤气费” is more colloquial and common.
• 交 (jiāo) vs. 付 (fù):
  • Both mean “to pay.” However, 交 (jiāo) is very frequently used for bills, fees, taxes, and homework. It has a connotation of “submitting” or “handing over.” Therefore, 交煤气费 (jiāo méiqìfèi) is the most standard and natural-sounding phrase. 付煤气费 (fù méiqìfèi) is also correct but slightly less common.

• 水费 (shuǐfèi) - Water bill. The “water fee.”
• 电费 (diànfèi) - Electricity bill. The “electricity fee.”
• 网费 (wǎngfèi) - Internet bill. The “net fee.”
• 物业费 (wùyèfèi) - Property management fee. Similar to an HOA fee or service charge in an apartment complex.
• 生活费 (shēnghuófèi) - Living expenses. A broad term that includes all the bills listed above, plus food, transport, etc.
• 账单 (zhàngdān) - Bill/Invoice. The document you receive detailing the cost. 煤气费 is the type of expense; 煤气费账单 is the bill itself.
• 交费 (jiāofèi) - To pay a fee. A verb-object phrase that is a more general way to say “pay bills.”
• 天然气 (tiānránqì) - Natural gas. The technically correct term for the substance, often used interchangeably with 煤气 in conversation.
• 费用 (fèiyòng) - Expenses, costs. A more formal and general term for any kind of cost or fee.