Expressing "for" with "wei"

When you work for a company or do other sorts of physical (and even mental) activities for another party, you're likely to use the Chinese preposition 为 (wèi). This character is often translated into English as "for," but is sometimes unnatural or unnecessary, depending on the particular phrase. For example, the super common Mao-era phrase, 为人民服务 (wèi rénmín fúwù), "serve the people," doesn't need the word "for" in English.

Don't confuse this preposition with 为了, which is a bit different.

Structure

为 + Party + Verb / Adj.

Examples

  • 我们 都 为 你 高兴 。Wǒmen dōu wèi nǐ gāoxìng.We are all happy for you.
  • 谁 为 我 考虑 过 ？Shéi wèi wǒ kǎolǜ guo?Who has ever considered me?
  • 你们 可以 来 为 我们 加油 。Nǐmen kěyǐ lái wèi wǒmen jiāyóu.You guys can come to cheer us on.
  • 她 是 为 美国 政府 工作 的 。Tā shì wèi Měiguó zhèngfǔ gōngzuò de.She works for the United States government.
  • 这个 生日 蛋糕 是 为 你 准备 的 。Zhège shēngrì dàngāo shì wèi nǐ zhǔnbèi de.This birthday cake has been prepared for you.
  • 父母 为 家庭 付出 了 很 多 。Fùmǔ wèi jiātíng fùchū le hěn duō.The parents have done so much for their family.
  • 你 不 为 自己 的 孩子 担心 吗 ？Nǐ bù wèi zìjǐ de háizi dānxīn ma?Aren't you worried for your child?
  • 谢谢 你 为 我们 提供 这么 多 资源 。Xièxie nǐ wèi wǒmen tígōng zhème duō zīyuán.Thank you for providing us with so many resources.
  • 他 为 公司 的 发展 贡献 了 很多 。Tā wèi gōngsī de fāzhǎn gòngxiàn le hěn duō.He contributed a lot to the development of the company.
  • 很多 人 都 在 为 那些 孩子 祈祷 。Hěn duō rén dōu zài wèi nàxiē háizi qídǎo.Lots of people are praying for those children.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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