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

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

• 很多中国父母为孩子而活。Hěnduō Zhōngguó fùmǔ wèi háizi ér huó.Many Chinese parents live for their children.
• 我们为梦想而奋斗。Wǒmen wèi mèngxiǎng ér fèndòu.We fight for our dreams.
• 为我们的健康而多做锻炼。Wèi wǒmen de jiànkāng ér duō zuò duànliàn.We exercise more for the sake of our health.
• 你是为钱而工作吗？Nǐ shì wèi qián ér gōngzuò ma?Do you work for money?
• 我是为朋友而做的这件事情。Wǒ shì wèi péngyǒu ér zuò de zhè jiàn shìqíng.I'm doing this for a friend.
• 他为了能去日本而苦学日语。Tā wèile néng qù Rìběn ér kǔxué Rìyǔ.He studied Japanese hard in order to be able to go to Japan.
• 李甜为了男朋友而学的医生。Lǐ Tián wèile nán péngyǒu ér xué de yīshēng.Li Tian studied to be a doctor for her boyfriend.
• 这不仅仅是为娱乐而修建的公园。Zhè bùjǐn jǐn shì wèi yúlè ér xiūjiàn de gōngyuán.This parks was not built solely for entertainment.
• 你不为父母而考虑，也要考虑考虑你自己。Nǐ bù wéi fùmǔ ér kǎolǜ, yě yào kǎolǜ kǎolǜ nǐ zìjǐ.You don't consider your parents, but consider yourself.
• 不为明天而努力，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

• Cause and effect with "yinwei" and "suoyi"
• Explaining results with "suoyi"

Sources and further reading

• HSK Standard Course 4下 (pp. 94) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 135) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

Websites

• Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Usage of 而

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