Difference between revisions of "Expressing purpose with "weile""
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*<em>为了</em> 钱 ，他 什么 都 愿意 做 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Wèile</em> qián, tā shénme dōu yuànyì zuò.</span><span class="trans">He's willing to do anything for money.</span> | *<em>为了</em> 钱 ，他 什么 都 愿意 做 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Wèile</em> qián, tā shénme dōu yuànyì zuò.</span><span class="trans">He's willing to do anything for money.</span> | ||
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*<em>为了</em> 孩子 的 未来 ，他 决定 搬到 上海 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Wèile</em> háizi de wèilái, tā juédìng bāndào Shanghai.</span><span class="trans">In order to give his child a good future, he decided to move to Shanghai.</span> | *<em>为了</em> 孩子 的 未来 ，他 决定 搬到 上海 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Wèile</em> háizi de wèilái, tā juédìng bāndào Shanghai.</span><span class="trans">In order to give his child a good future, he decided to move to Shanghai.</span> | ||
| − | *<em>为了</em> | + | *<em>为了</em> 省 钱 ，爷爷 戒烟 了 。<span class="trans">In order to save money, grandpa quit smoking.</span> |
| + | *<em>为了</em> 这个 面试 ，他 专门 去 买 了 一 套 西装 。<span class="trans">He went to buy a suit specially for this job interview.</span> | ||
| + | *<em>为了</em> 帮 朋友 ，我 差点 丢 了 工作 。<span class="trans">I almost lost my job in order to help a friend.</span> | ||
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Revision as of 07:07, 30 November 2017
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Keywords
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.
Contents
Basic Usage
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.
Structure
为了 ⋯⋯ ，Subj. ⋯⋯
Note also that 为了 is a single word; the 了 here is not serving its role as a particle in this case.
Examples
- 为了 钱 ，他 什么 都 愿意 做 。He's willing to do anything for money.
- 为了 孩子 的 未来 ，他 决定 搬到 上海 。In order to give his child a good future, he decided to move to Shanghai.
- 为了 省 钱 ，爷爷 戒烟 了 。In order to save money, grandpa quit smoking.
- 为了 这个 面试 ，他 专门 去 买 了 一 套 西装 。He went to buy a suit specially for this job interview.
- 为了 帮 朋友 ，我 差点 丢 了 工作 。I almost lost my job in order to help a friend.
Advanced Usage
Sometimes you will see 为了 coming after 是. In this case, it often goes with 之所以 (a more difficult pattern, not explored here), which means "the reason why" in a more formal way.
Structure
(之所以) ⋯⋯ 是 + 为了 + Purpose / Reason
Example
- 他 做 兼职 是 为了 多 赚 一些 钱 。The reason why he does a part time jog is to make a little more money.
- 她 之所以 离职 是 为了 创业 。The reason why she left the job is to start her own business.
- 你 学 中文 是 为了 在 中国 找 工作 吗 ？Are you studying Chinese in order to find a job in China?
- 我 这么做 是 为了 帮 你 。Why I did all this is to help you.
See Also
Sources and further reading
Podcasts
Books
- Home With Kids1 (家有儿女1) (p.32) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (p. 40) →buy
- 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (p. 12) →buy
Websites
- Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Uses of 为 and 为了
