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," which is often unnatural or unnecessary, depending on the particular phrase. For example, the super common Mao-era phrase, 为人民服务 ("serve the people"), doesn't need the word "for" in English.

Structure

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? Is there anyone who's ever thought about 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 is prepared for you.
父母都要为家庭付出很多。 Fùmǔ dōu yào wèi jiātíng fùchū hěn duō. Parents need to do a lot 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 about 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.

Expressing "for" with "wei"

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Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

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