Explaining purpose with "wei... er..."

Chinese-grammar-wiki-wei.jpg

为⋯⋯,而⋯⋯(wèi...ér...) is a structure used to clearly express the purpose of an action.

Structure

Subj. + 为 + Goal + 而 + Efforts Made

Sometimes, 为 can be replaced with 为了, which is less formal.

To make the pattern negative, simply add 不 before 为:

Subj. + 不 + 为 + Goal + 而 + Efforts Made

Examples

  • 很多中国父母孩子活。Hěnduō Zhōngguó fùmǔ wèi háizi ér huó.Many Chinese parents live for their children.
  • 我们梦想奋斗。Wǒmen wèi mèngxiǎng ér fèndòu.We fight for our dreams.
  • 我们的健康多做锻炼。Wèi wǒmen de jiànkāng ér duō zuò duànliàn.We exercise more for the sake of our health.
  • 你是工作吗?Nǐ shì wèi qián ér gōngzuò ma?Do you work for money?
  • 我是朋友做的这件事情。Wǒ shì wèi péngyou ér zuò de zhè jiàn shìqing.I'm doing this for a friend.
  • 为了能去日本苦学日语。wèile néng qù Rìběn ér kǔxué Rìyǔ.He studied Japanese hard in order to be able to go to Japan.
  • 李甜为了男朋友学的医生。Lǐ Tián wèile nánpéngyou ér xué de yīshēng.Li Tian studied to be a doctor for her boyfriend.
  • 这不仅仅为娱乐修建的公园。Zhè bùjǐn jǐn shì wèi yúlè ér xiūjiàn de gōngyuán.This parks was not built solely for entertainment.
  • 不为父母考虑,也要考虑考虑你自己。bù wéi fùmǔ ér kǎolǜ, yě yào kǎolǜ kǎolǜ nǐ zìjǐ.You don't consider your parents, but consider yourself.
  • 不为明天努力,那你为了什么而努力?Bù wéi míngtiān ér nǔlì, nà nǐ wèile shénme ér nǔlì?If you aren't working hard for tomorrow then what are you working so hard for?

See also

Sources and further reading

Websites