Basic/Simple Sentence PatternsHSK 4
Expressing purpose with 为了
为了 means 'in order to' or 'for the sake of'. It is placed at the start of a sentence, followed by the purpose, then the subject and the action.
Structure
为了 + Purpose, Subj. + Predicate
为了 is a single word; the 了 here is not the aspect particle.
Examples
- 为了钱，他什么都愿意做。Wèile qián, tā shénme dōu yuànyì zuò.He's willing to do anything for money.
- 为了孩子的未来，他决定搬到上海。Wèile háizi de wèilái, tā juédìng bāndào Shànghǎi.He decided to move to Shanghai for his children's future.
- 为了这个面试，他买了一套很贵的西服。Wèile zhège miànshì, tā mǎi le yī tào hěn guì de xīfú.He bought a very expensive suit for this job interview.
- 为了找灵感，那个作家搬到了农村。Wèile zhǎo línggǎn, nàge zuòjiā bān dào le nóngcūn.In order to find inspiration, that writer moved to the countryside.
- 五年前，为了女朋友，他放弃了上海的工作。wǔniánqián， Wèile nǚpéngyou, tā fàngqì le Shànghǎi de gōngzuò.Five years ago he passed up a job in Shanghai for his girlfriend.