Difference between revisions of "Expressing purpose with "weile""

Line 23: Line 23:
 
* <em>为了</em> 钱 , 他 出卖 了 朋友 。 <span class="expl">(money is the purpose)</span> <span class="trans">He betrayed his friends for money.</span>
 
* <em>为了</em> 钱 , 他 出卖 了 朋友 。 <span class="expl">(money is the purpose)</span> <span class="trans">He betrayed his friends for money.</span>
 
* <em>为了</em> 妻子,他 买 了 一 个 大 房子 。 <span class="expl">(the wife benefits)</span> <span class="trans">He bought a large house for his wife.</span>
 
* <em>为了</em> 妻子,他 买 了 一 个 大 房子 。 <span class="expl">(the wife benefits)</span> <span class="trans">He bought a large house for his wife.</span>
* <em>为了</em> 有 一个 好 的 未来, 我 必须 好好 学习 。 <span class="expl">(having a good future is the purpose)</span> <span class="trans">In order to have a good future, he has to study hard.</span>
+
* <em>为了</em> 有 一个 好 的 未来, 我 必须 好好 学习 。 <span class="expl">(having a good future is the purpose)</span> <span class="trans">In order to have a good future, I have to study hard.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>

Revision as of 05:17, 4 June 2013

为了 (wèile) is most often used to indicate the purpose of an action, or the person that will benefit from some act of kindness. In the "purpose" sense, it corresponds pretty well to "in order to" or "for the purpose of" in English.

为了 as a preposition

When 为了 indicates the purpose of an action, it's usually acting as a preposition. In this role, the whole "为了 phrase" should come before the verb.

Note also that 为了 is a single word; the 了 here is not serving its role as a particle in this case.

Structure

为了+ [some purpose], Subject + Predicate

Examples

  • 为了 钱 , 他 出卖 了 朋友 。 (money is the purpose) He betrayed his friends for money.
  • 为了 妻子,他 买 了 一 个 大 房子 。 (the wife benefits) He bought a large house for his wife.
  • 为了 有 一个 好 的 未来, 我 必须 好好 学习 。 (having a good future is the purpose) In order to have a good future, I have to study hard.

为了 as a verb

Occasionally you will see 为了 acting as a verb by itself. In this case, it usually combines with 是, and the meaning is not hard to derive: "to be for."

Structure

Subject + (是 +) 为了 + Objective

Example

  • 这 是 为了 你 。

See also

Sources and further reading

Podcasts

Books