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为 (wéi) — as; in the capacity of; by (used in the passive construction 为...所...)

Definition

As a preposition, 为 means 'as' or 'in the role of' (e.g. 为朋友 as a friend). It is more formal/written than 作为, which is the everyday choice in modern Chinese.

preposition
asin the capacity ofby (used in the passive construction 为...所...)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 为，。
    Tā wéi lǎo shī, jiào xué shēng zhōng wén.
    As a teacher, he teaches students Chinese.
  • 为，。
    wéi Péng you, wǒ gāi bāng nǐ.
    As a friend, I should help you.
  • 为。
    Tā chàng de gē wéi dà jiā suǒ xǐ huan.
    The song he sang is liked by everyone.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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