造价

• Pinyin: zào jià
• Hanzi breakdown: 造 = to build/create; 价 = 亻+ 介 (price/value)

Meaning

Construction cost; project cost; the total expenditure required to build or manufacture something. The price of creating or constructing a structure, product, or system.

A technical term used in construction, engineering, architecture, and procurement. 造价低廉 (low construction cost), 造价高昂 (exorbitant construction cost), 造价预算 (cost budget), 工程造价 (project/engineering cost). Refers specifically to the cost of building or producing, not the market price of a finished product.

Examples

1. 这座跨海大桥总造价超过两百亿元人民币，历时六年才完成全部建设工程。 The total construction cost of this sea-crossing bridge exceeded 20 billion yuan, and it took six years to complete the entire project.
2. 由于原材料价格上涨，该住宅项目的实际造价比最初预算超出了约百分之二十。 Because raw material prices rose, the actual cost of the housing project ended up about 20% over the original budget.
3. 承包商提交了详细的造价清单，涵盖从地基到外墙装饰的每一项工程费用。 The contractor submitted a detailed cost breakdown covering every expense from the foundation to the exterior finishing.

Usage Guide

Context: construction, engineering, procurement, architecture

Tone: technical/neutral

Do Say

• 政府公开了这条地铁线路的工程造价明细，接受社会各界的监督和审计。(The government disclosed the detailed engineering cost breakdown of this metro line, subjecting it to public scrutiny and audit.)
• 在招标文件中，甲方明确要求各投标方提供完整的造价估算报告，不得含糊其辞。(In the tender documents, the client explicitly required all bidders to provide a complete cost estimation report, with no ambiguity permitted.)

Don't Say

• 这件衬衫的造价是两百元 — 造价 is for large-scale construction or manufacturing projects; use 成本 or 售价 for everyday goods like clothing or food

Origin & History

造 (to build/create) + 价 (price/cost)

Cultural Context

Generation: Working adults

Social background: Professional