How to Say “For” (Dedication and Feeling) with 为 (wèi)
为 (wèi) means “for,” marking the party you do something for or feel something about. 为 + Party + Verb/Adj: 我们都为你高兴 (“we're all happy for you”), 他为这家公司工作 (“he works for this company”). It's the more formal cousin of 给, and the one that pairs with feelings (为你担心, 为你骄傲). Don't confuse it with 为了 (“in order to”), which marks a goal.
Why this trips learners up
为 (wèi) is a preposition meaning “for”: it marks the party you do something for, or feel something about. The frame is 为 + Party + Verb / Adjective. 他为这家公司工作了二十年 (“he's worked for this company for twenty years”), 父母为孩子付出了很多 (“parents give so much for their children”), 大家都来为运动员加油 (“everyone comes to cheer the athletes on”).
What makes 为 special is that it also pairs with feelings. With an emotion adjective or verb, 为 marks the person your feeling is about: 我们都为你高兴 (“we're all happy for you”), 我为你骄傲 (“I'm proud of you”), 别为我担心 (“don't worry about me”). This is something its everyday cousin 给 cannot do: you can 给 someone a concrete service (给你做饭, “cook for you”), but a feeling about someone always takes 为, never 给.
So 为 and 给 split the work of “for.” 给 is informal and concrete (everyday favours and services), while 为 is more formal and abstract (dedication, contribution, emotion): 为人民服务 (“serve the people”), 为公司的发展贡献 (“contribute to the company's growth”). There's a lot of overlap, and which one a verb takes is often just convention, but feelings and lofty dedication lean to 为.
The bigger trap is 为了 (wèile), which looks almost the same but does a different job. 为 + a party means “for that person or group” (为你高兴, 为家人工作). 为了 + a goal means “in order to / for the sake of” reaching something (为了健康，他开始跑步, “to stay healthy, he started running”). If you can answer “for whom?”, use 为; if you can answer “for what purpose?”, use 为了.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
wǒmen 我们 Subject dōu 都 Adverb wèi 为 Pattern nǐ 你 Object gǎndào jiāo’ào 感到骄傲 Verb
We're all proud of you (为你 + the feeling 骄傲).
bié 别 Negation wèi 为 Pattern wǒ 我 Object dānxīn 担心 Verb wǒ méishì ，我没事 Other
Don't worry about me, I'm fine (为我担心: a feeling takes 为).
tā 他 Subject wèi 为 Pattern zhè jiā gōngsī 这家公司 Object gōngzuò 工作 Verb le 了 Function word èrshí nián 二十年 Time
He's worked for this company for twenty years (为 + organisation + 工作).
dàjiā 大家 Subject dōu 都 Adverb lái 来 Verb wèi 为 Pattern yùndòngyuán 运动员 Object jiāyóu 加油 Verb
Everyone came to cheer the athletes on (为…加油).
lǎoshī 老师 Subject wèi 为 Pattern wǒmen 我们 Object fùchū 付出 Verb le 了 Function word hěn duō 很多 Other
The teacher has given so much for us (为我们 + 付出).
xièxie nǐ 谢谢你 Other wèi 为 Pattern wǒ 我 Object zuò de yíqiè 做的一切 Verb
Thank you for everything you've done for me (为我 + verb).
hěn duō kēxuéjiā 很多科学家 Subject wèi 为 Pattern zhège xiàngmù 这个项目 Object nǔlì 努力 Verb le 了 Function word hěn duō nián 很多年 Time
Many scientists worked hard on this project for years (为…努力).
quánguó rénmín 全国人民 Subject dōu 都 Adverb zài 在 Adverb wèi 为 Pattern zāiqū de rénmen 灾区的人们 Object qídǎo 祈祷 Verb
People across the country are praying for those in the disaster areas (在为…祈祷).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 为 marks a person or party; 为了 marks a goal. “I'm proud of you” is 我为你骄傲 (for you), not 我为了你骄傲 (which would mean “for your sake,” a purpose). For the person you feel something about, use 为, never 为了.
Why it happens: Feelings about someone take 为, not 给. “We're happy for you” is 我们为你高兴, not 我们给你高兴. 给 is for concrete actions done for someone (给你做饭); you can't 给 a feeling, so 高兴 / 担心 / 骄傲 all use 为.
Why it happens: 为 + the party comes before the verb or adjective, not after it like English “happy for you.” “I'm happy for you” is 我为你高兴, not 我高兴为你. Put 为 + the person first, then the feeling or action.
Compare & contrast
| 为 + party: for someone (a person you act or feel for) | 为了 + goal: for the sake of (a purpose you aim at) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 大家都为你高兴dàjiā dōu wèi nǐ gāoxìng | 为了你，我什么都愿意做wèile nǐ, wǒ shénme dōu yuànyì zuò | 大家都为你高兴 means “everyone is happy for you,” with 为 + the person you feel something for. 为了你，我什么都愿意做 means “for your sake I'd do anything,” with 为了 + the reason driving an action. 为 marks who; 为了 marks why. |
| 他为公司付出了很多tā wèi gōngsī fùchū le hěn duō | 他为了公司的发展付出了很多tā wèile gōngsī de fāzhǎn fùchū le hěn duō | 他为公司付出了很多 means “he's given a lot for the company” (为 + the party). 他为了公司的发展付出了很多 means “for the company's growth” (为了 + the goal). 为 points at the beneficiary; 为了 points at the aim. |
Try it yourself
Say “We're all happy for you.” Put 为 + the person before the feeling.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “For” (Dedication and Feeling) with 为 (wèi) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.