Difference between revisions of "Expressing "for" with "wei""
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*这个 生日 蛋糕 是 <em>为</em> 你 做 的 。<span class="pinyin">Zhège shēngrì dàngāo shì <em>wèi</em> nǐ zuò de.</span><span class="trans">This birthday cake is made for you.</span> | *这个 生日 蛋糕 是 <em>为</em> 你 做 的 。<span class="pinyin">Zhège shēngrì dàngāo shì <em>wèi</em> nǐ zuò de.</span><span class="trans">This birthday cake is made for you.</span> | ||
*父母 常常 要 <em>为</em> 家庭 付出 很 多 。<span class="pinyin">Fùmǔ chángcháng yào <em>wèi</em> jiātíng fùchū hěn duō.</span><span class="trans">Parents usually need to do a lot for their family.</span> | *父母 常常 要 <em>为</em> 家庭 付出 很 多 。<span class="pinyin">Fùmǔ chángcháng yào <em>wèi</em> jiātíng fùchū hěn duō.</span><span class="trans">Parents usually need to do a lot for their family.</span> | ||
| − | * | + | *你 不 <em>为</em> 自己 的 孩子 担心 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ bù <em>wèi</em> zìjǐ de háizi dānxīn ma?</span><span class="trans">Aren't you worried about your child?</span> |
*她 是 <em>为</em> 美国 政府 工作 的 。<span class="pinyin">Tā shì <em>wèi</em> Měiguó zhèngfǔ gōngzuò de.</span><span class="trans">She works for the United States government.</span> | *她 是 <em>为</em> 美国 政府 工作 的 。<span class="pinyin">Tā shì <em>wèi</em> Měiguó zhèngfǔ gōngzuò de.</span><span class="trans">She works for the United States government.</span> | ||
*谢谢 你 <em>为</em> 我们 提供 这么 多 资源 。<span class="pinyin">Xièxie nǐ <em>wèi</em> wǒmen tígōng zhème duō zīyuán.</span><span class="trans">Thank you for providing us with so many resources.</span> | *谢谢 你 <em>为</em> 我们 提供 这么 多 资源 。<span class="pinyin">Xièxie nǐ <em>wèi</em> wǒmen tígōng zhème duō zīyuán.</span><span class="trans">Thank you for providing us with so many resources.</span> | ||
| − | *在 华尔街 | + | *在 华尔街 ，很 多 人 只 <em>为</em> 钱 工作 。<span class="pinyin">Zài huá'ěrjiē, hěn duō rén zhǐ <em>wèi</em> qián gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">Lots of people from Wall Street only works for money.</span> |
*他 <em>为</em> 公司 的 发展 做 了 很 多 贡献 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>wèi</em> gōngsī de fāzhǎn zuò le hěn duō gòngxiàn.</span><span class="trans">He contributed a lot for the development of the company.</span> | *他 <em>为</em> 公司 的 发展 做 了 很 多 贡献 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>wèi</em> gōngsī de fāzhǎn zuò le hěn duō gòngxiàn.</span><span class="trans">He contributed a lot for the development of the company.</span> | ||
Revision as of 03:37, 20 December 2017
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Level
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Used for
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Keywords
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), which is often translated into English as "for," a translation which is often unnatural or unnecessary, depending on the particular phrase. The super common Mao-era phrase, 为人民服务 ("serve the people"), doesn't need the word "for" in English, for example.
Don't confuse this preposition with 为了, which is a bit different.
Structure
为 + Person + Predicate
The predicate part of the pattern can be a verb or an adjective.
Examples
- 我们 都 为 你 高兴 。We are all happy for you.
- 谁 为 我 考虑 过 ？Is there anyone who's ever thought about me?
- 你们 可以 来 为 我们 加油 。You guys can come to cheer us up.
- 这个 生日 蛋糕 是 为 你 做 的 。This birthday cake is made for you.
- 父母 常常 要 为 家庭 付出 很 多 。Parents usually need to do a lot for their family.
- 你 不 为 自己 的 孩子 担心 吗 ？Aren't you worried about your child?
- 她 是 为 美国 政府 工作 的 。She works for the United States government.
- 谢谢 你 为 我们 提供 这么 多 资源 。Thank you for providing us with so many resources.
- 在 华尔街 ，很 多 人 只 为 钱 工作 。Lots of people from Wall Street only works for money.
- 他 为 公司 的 发展 做 了 很 多 贡献 。He contributed a lot for the development of the company.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 238) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp. 76) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) (pp. 203) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
Websites
- Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Uses of 为 and 为了
