发票

• Pinyin: fā piào
• Hanzi breakdown: 发 = simplified from 發, meaning to issue; 票 = 西 (west, phonetic variant) + 示 (show), meaning ticket or bill

Meaning

Receipt; invoice. An official document recording a transaction, often required for expense claims.

In China, 发票 specifically refers to government-regulated tax invoices (fapiao), which are different from simple receipts. They are required for business expense reimbursement and tax purposes. Common phrases: 开发票 (issue an invoice), 要发票 (ask for an invoice). Restaurants and shops can issue them upon request.

Examples

1. 请问可以开发票吗？我需要报销。 Excuse me, can you issue an invoice? I need it for reimbursement.
2. 他忘了要发票，没办法报销了。 He forgot to ask for the invoice, so he can't get reimbursed.
3. 现在很多地方都可以开电子发票了。 Nowadays many places can issue electronic invoices.

Usage Guide

Context: business, shopping

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 麻烦开一张发票。(Could you please issue an invoice?)
• 发票抬头写公司名称。(Write the company name on the invoice header.)

Don't Say

• 把'发票'和'收据'完全等同 (Don't treat 发票 and 收据 as identical — 发票 is a government-regulated tax invoice for reimbursement, while 收据 is a simple receipt)

Origin & History

Compound of 发 (to issue, to send) and 票 (ticket, bill). Originally meant to issue a document; now specifically refers to tax invoices.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal