<p>'消费' as a verb means 'to consume' and the measure word for this verb is 次, as in '消费一次'</p>
<p>'消费' as a noun means 'consumption; expenditure; expense' and the typical measure word for this noun is 項(item of), as in 一項消费, 多項消费</p>
<blockquote>
<p>花一元买一杯咖啡也是一<strong>項</strong>消费 - Spend a dollar to buy a cup of coffee is still <strong>a</strong> (item of) consumption</p>
<p>花一元买一杯咖啡也是一<strong>种</strong>消费 - Spend a dollar to buy a cup of coffee is still <strong>a</strong> (kind of) consumption</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Using 个 as the measure word for 消费 is less common, but it is not incorrect:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>花一元买一杯咖啡也是一<strong>个</strong>消费 - Spend a dollar to buy a cup of coffee is still <strong>a</strong> (item of) consumption</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If a considerable amount of money is involved, you can use 笔 (sum of)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>一大<strong>笔</strong>消费 -  <strong>a</strong> huge (sum of) expenditure</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-22T20:09:42.940Z
Also this is only to consume as a market thing?  Could you say 我消费汽油?  I am pretty sure that this consume does not mean to consume food, that is only 吃掉不是吗？
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-22T20:32:58.883Z
Yes '消费'( consume)  in  '我消费汽油' (I consume gasoline),  means "I buy and use up (用掉) the gasoline."; On the other hand,  "to consume (eat)  food" is "吃掉食物"  in Chinese,  as in "我要吃掉這個蘋果" ( I want to consume/eat this apple)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-22T06:56:44.040Z
2017-07-22T07:28:24.730Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>I noticed that dictionaries cite 消费 as having the MW: 个 。  Is there a reason that this this particular noun has a measure word?  It doesn't seem as if it were to be a word that uses a measure word.  </p>

<p>Can any one help clarify this for me ?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-22T10:12:39.327Z
小马词典：消费 xiāo fèi to consume; CL:个 which seems very strange w/o noun(expenditure consumption consumerism(?)), also among jukuu's 100 samples for 消费, there is none w any measure word, it occurs most of the time  in 消费者 or attributively
user6065
<vocabulary><measure-word>
消费 coupled with the MW: 个
# 消费 coupled with the MW: 个

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-22)

I noticed that dictionaries cite 消费 as having the MW: 个 。 Is there a reason that this this particular noun has a measure word? It doesn't seem as if it were to be a word that uses a measure word.

Can any one help clarify this for me ?

**Tags:** vocabulary, measure-word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 小马词典：消费 xiāo fèi to consume; CL:个 which seems very strange w/o noun(expenditure consumption consumerism(?)), also among jukuu's 100 samples for 消费, there is none w any measure word, it occurs most of the time  in 消费者 or attributively  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-07-22. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

'消费' as a verb means 'to consume' and the measure word for this verb is 次, as in '消费一次'

'消费' as a noun means 'consumption; expenditure; expense' and the typical measure word for this noun is 項(item of), as in 一項消费, 多項消费

> 花一元买一杯咖啡也是一**項**消费 - Spend a dollar to buy a cup of coffee is still **a** (item of) consumption
>
> 花一元买一杯咖啡也是一**种**消费 - Spend a dollar to buy a cup of coffee is still **a** (kind of) consumption

Using 个 as the measure word for 消费 is less common, but it is not incorrect:

> 花一元买一杯咖啡也是一**个**消费 - Spend a dollar to buy a cup of coffee is still **a** (item of) consumption

If a considerable amount of money is involved, you can use 笔 (sum of)

> 一大**笔**消费 - **a** huge (sum of) expenditure

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Also this is only to consume as a market thing?  Could you say 我消费汽油?  I am pretty sure that this consume does not mean to consume food, that is only 吃掉不是吗？  
> **username_2**: Yes '消费'( consume)  in  '我消费汽油' (I consume gasoline),  means "I buy and use up (用掉) the gasoline."; On the other hand,  "to consume (eat)  food" is "吃掉食物"  in Chinese,  as in "我要吃掉這個蘋果" ( I want to consume/eat this apple)  

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