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Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhè shì gōngběnfèi. - This is the document production fee.

Hardcore Chinese
/Renewing a driving licence
/zhè shì gōngběnfèi.

zhè shì gōngběnfèi.

这zhè　是shì　工本费gōngběnfèi。zhè shì gōngběnfèi.

This is the document production fee.

Breakdown of zhè shì gōngběnfèi.

工本费gōngběnfèigōngběnfèi

document production fee

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Questions & Answers about zhè shì gōngběnfèi.

What is the basic grammar pattern of 这是工本费。?

It follows the very common pattern A 是 B = A is B.

这 = this
是 = the verb to be
工本费 = a noun meaning a basic cost/processing fee

So grammatically, 这 is the subject, 是 links the two parts, and 工本费 is what this is being identified as.

Why is it 这 and not 这个 here?

Because 这 is being used by itself as a pronoun meaning this.

Compare:

这是工本费。 = This is a processing/basic-cost fee.
这个工本费... = this processing fee...

When 这 directly modifies a noun, Mandarin usually needs a measure word/classifier, such as 这个, 这本, 这张, and so on. But here 这 stands alone, so 这 by itself is correct.

Do I have to use 是 here? I thought Chinese sometimes leaves out to be.

Yes, 是 is needed here.

That is because 工本费 is a noun, and this sentence is identifying one thing as another: This is X.

Chinese often does not use 是 before adjectives:

这个很贵。 = This is expensive.
not usually 这个是贵。

But when one noun/pronoun is being equated with another noun, 是 is normally used:

这是工本费。
他是老师。
那是我的书。

What exactly does 工本费 mean?

工本费 usually means a fee charged to cover basic costs such as materials, production, printing, or handling.

In real life, it often appears for things like:

making or replacing a card
issuing a certificate
printing a document
administrative processing with a small charge

So it is often not just any random fee, but more specifically a fee meant to cover basic production or administrative costs.

Can I say 这个是工本费 instead of 这是工本费?

Yes, you may hear 这个是工本费, but 这是工本费 is the more straightforward and standard way to say This is a processing/basic-cost fee.

The difference is often:

这是... = simple neutral statement
这个是... = this one is..., often with a contrast or emphasis

For example:

这个是工本费，那个是服务费。 = This one is the processing fee; that one is the service fee.

So if you are just identifying something, 这是... is the safer choice.

Can I say 这是一个工本费?

Usually no, not in normal usage.

工本费 is typically treated as a type of fee or charge, not as a countable physical object. In Chinese, predicate nouns often appear without 一个 after 是.

So:

这是工本费。 is natural.
这是一个工本费。 sounds unnatural in most situations.

If you really wanted to count a particular charge, you would usually need a more suitable measure expression, depending on context, such as 一笔工本费 for one fee charge/item of fee.

How should I pronounce 这, 是, and 工本费?

The tones are:

这 zhè — 4th tone
是 shì — 4th tone
工 gōng — 1st tone
本 běn — 3rd tone
费 fèi — 4th tone

A few pronunciation tips:

zh in zhè is a retroflex sound, with the tongue curled slightly back.
sh in shì is also retroflex.
The -i in shi is not like English ee. It is a special Mandarin vowel sound after sh.
In natural speech, běn may not do a full dramatic dip before the following 4th tone; that is normal.

So the rhythm is roughly: zhè shì gōng běn fèi

Why are there spaces between the characters here? Is that normal Chinese writing?

No. In normal Chinese writing, you would write it as:

这是工本费。

Chinese is normally written without spaces between words. The spaces in your example are just for teaching purposes, to help learners match characters with pinyin.

Also, 。 is the Chinese full stop, equivalent to . in English.

Can I break down 工本费 word by word?

Yes, but it is best learned as a single vocabulary item.

A rough breakdown is:

工本 = labor/material cost, production cost
费 = fee

So 工本费 is literally something like cost fee or production-cost fee, but the natural meaning is a fee charged to cover basic costs.

As with many Chinese compounds, the whole word is often more useful than a strict word-for-word translation.

Is this sentence formal, casual, or something I would actually see in real life?

It is very realistic, especially in practical or administrative contexts.

You might see or hear 工本费:

on forms
at offices
at schools
in banks
when replacing ID cards, certificates, or documents

So while the sentence itself is simple and textbook-friendly, the word 工本费 is very much a real-life term rather than just a classroom example.

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