subject + verb + object + 是因为 (shì yīnwèi) + noun/phrase/clause
Mandarin Chinese Articles
How to express reasons and purposes in Mandarin Chinese?
By: Lina Shen Tue Nov 26 2024
Mandarin chinesePrepositions
To express reasons and purposes in Mandarin Chinese, you will need to use connecting words, such as “because (of),” or “in order to” in English. In Mandarin Chinese, you can use 由于 (yóuyú) and 为 (wèi) for reason and 为了 (wèile) to express purpose.
In this post, we’re going to focus on how to use these connecting words, their position in the sentences, and their meanings.
Table of Contents
What are connecting words in Mandarin Chinese?
“Connecting words” are words used to connect a cause with the effect (“He was late because of the snow”), the purpose and the action taken (“In order to get up early, she went to bed at 8 pm”), etc. In Mandarin, we use words which can function as prepositions (because of you) or conjunctions (because I was late), just like in English. For this reason, we will use the umbrella term “connecting words” to avoid confusion!
How to express reasons using 由于 (yóuyú) and 为 (wèi) in Mandarin Chinese?
The connecting words 由于 (yóuyú) and 为 (wèi) are commonly used to express reasons in Mandarin Chinese. 由于 (yóuyú) is almost equivalent to “because” or “due to” in English. 为 (wèi) is often used in a fixed phrase as 因为 (yīnwèi) and it is translated as “for” or “for the reason of” in English.
How to use 由于 (yóuyú) as “because of”?
Use 由于 (yóuyú, because/due to) connected with a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., a phraseNo definition set for phraseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., or a clauseNo definition set for clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in the front part of a sentence in order to indicate a cause; the second part the sentence then carries out the effect. Sometimes, you will see the word 所以 (suǒyǐ, so) in the sentence of expressing the effect. Here is the pattern:
Express cause: | Express effect: |
|---|---|
|
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由于时间关系， (Yóuyú shíjiān hěn jǐn,) Because of the time, | (所以)我们只能问三个问题。 ((suǒyǐ) wǒmen zhǐ néng wèn sān ge wèntí.) (so) we can only ask three questions. |
由于天气恶劣， (Yóuyú tiānqì è liè,) Due to the severe weather, | (所以)他们取消了所有的航班。 ((suǒyǐ) tāmen qǔxiāo le suǒyǒu de hángbān.) (so) they canceled all the flights. |
由于你的帮助 (Yóuyú nǐ de bāngzhù,) Because of your help, | (所以)我考试取得了好成绩。 ((suǒyǐ) wǒ kǎoshì qǔ dé le hǎo chéngjì.) (so) I did well in the exam. |
由于大家共同努力， (Yóuyú dàjiā gòngtóng nǔlì,) Because of everyone’s hard work, | (所以)我们提前完成了任务。 ((suǒyǐ) wǒmen tíqián wánchéng le rènwù.) (so) we completed the task ahead of schedule. |
How to use 为 (wèi) as 因为 (yīnwèi, “because of”)?
When the connecting word 为 (wèi) is used to indicate reasons, it is often used as 因为 (yīnwèi). The same as 由于 (yóuyú, because of, due to), 因为 (yīnwèi) relates a noun or a phrase to express cause, and a sentence of effect follows. 所以 (suǒyǐ, so) is often used in the sentence of effect. The pattern is:
Express cause: | Express effect: |
|---|---|
|
|
因为下大雨了， (Yīnwèi xià dàyǔ le,) Because of the heavy rain, | 所以我们没去爬山。 (suǒyǐ wǒmen méi qù páshān.) (so) we didn't go hiking. |
因为不熟悉路线， (Yīnwèi bù shúxī lùxiàn,) Because of not being familiar with the route, | 所以他走错了路来晚了。 (suǒyǐ tā zǒucuò le lù lái wǎn le.) (so) he got lost and came here late. |
因为地震了， (Yīnwèi dìzhèn le, ) Because of the earthquake, | 所以大家都无家可归。 (suǒyǐ dàjiā dōu wújiā kěguī.) (so) everyone is homeless now. |
In the examples above, we start the sentences with 因为 (yīnwèi). There are a couple of ways to place 因为 (yīnwèi) in a sentence, instead of starting with it. Let’s have a look, using the same examples above.
Notice that, in this structure, you need to add 是 (shì) before 因为 (yīnwèi).
我们没去爬山是因为下大雨了。
(Wǒmen méi qù páshān shì yīnwèi xià dàyǔ le.)
We didn't go hiking because of the heavy rain.
他走错了路来晚了是因为他不熟悉路线。
(Tā zǒucuò le lù lái wǎn le shì yīnwèi tā bù shúxī lùxiàn.)
He got lost and came later because of not being familiar with the route.
大家都无家可归是因为地震了。
(Dàjiā dōu wújiā kěguī shì yīnwèn dìzhèn le.)
Everyone is homeless because of the earthquake.
Another way to place 因为 (yīnwèi) is used in a fixed phrase like this: 因为 (yīnwèi)... 而 (ér)...Please note that the character 而 (ér) is necessary and cannot be omitted in the sentence.
subject + 因为 (yīnwèi) + noun/phrase/clause + 而 (ér) + verb + object
我们因为下大雨了而没去爬山。
(Wǒmen yīnwèi xià dàyǔ ér méi qù páshān.)
We didn't go hiking because of the heavy rain.
他因为不熟悉路线而走错路来晚了。
(Tā yīnwèi bù shúxī lùxiàn ér zǒu cuò lù lái wǎn le.)
He got lost and came later because he was not familiar with the route.
(lit.) He got lost and came later because of not being familiar with the route.
大家因为地震了而无家可归。
(Dàjiā yīnwèi dìzhèn ér wújiā kěguī.)
Everyone is homeless because of the earthquake.
How to use 为了 (wèile) for purposes in Mandarin Chinese?
The connecting word 为了 (wèile) is connected with a noun or a phrase to express purposes in Mandarin Chinese. The place of 为了 (wèile) is very flexible; it can be used in the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. Let’s have a good look at how to use it.
How to use 为了 (wèile) in the beginning of a sentence?
When we 为了 (wèile) in the beginning of a sentence, the sentence pattern is this:
为了 (wèile, in order to, for) + noun/phrase, subject + verb + object
为了卫生，大家要经常洗手。
(Wèile wèishēng, dàjiā yào jīngcháng xǐshǒu.)
For hygiene, everyone needs to wash their hands often.
为了健康，我们应该多运动。
(Wèile jiànkāng, wǒmen yīnggāi duō yùndòng.)
In order to be healthy, we should exercise often.
为了帮助他，我花光了我所有的积蓄。
(Wèile bāngzhù tā, wǒ huā guāng le wǒ suǒyǒu de jīxù.)
In order to help him, I spent all of my savings.
为了能生活得更好，这对夫妻日夜工作。
(Wèile néng shénghuó de gèng hǎo, zhè duì fūqī rìyè gōngzuò.)
In order to live a better life, this couple works day and night.
How to use 为了 (wèile) in the middle of the sentence?
When we use 为了 (wèile) in the middle of the sentence, we will add 是 (shì, is) before 为了 (wèile) to emphasize the purpose. The sentence pattern is this:
subject + verb + object + 是为了 (shì wèile, is for) + noun/phrase
We will use the same examples from above, so let’s see how we place 为了 (wèile) in the middle of the sentence.
In the beginning of the sentence: | In the middle of the sentence: |
|---|---|
为了 (wèile) | 是为了 (shìwèile) |
为了卫生，大家要经常洗手。 (Wèile wèishēng, dàjiā yào jīngcháng xǐshǒu.) For hygiene, everyone needs to wash their hands often. | 大家要经常洗手是为了卫生。 (Dàjiā yào jīngcháng xǐshǒu shì wèile wèishēng.) Everyone needs to wash their hands often for hygiene. |
为了帮助他，我花光了我所有的积蓄。 (Wèile bāngzhù tā, wǒ huā guāng le wǒ suǒyǒu de jīxù.) In order to help him, I spent all of my savings. | 我花光了我所有的积蓄是为了帮助他。 (Wǒ huā guāng le wǒ suǒyǒu de jīxù shì wèile bāngzhù tā.) I spent all of my savings to help him. |
为了能生活得更好，这对夫妻日夜工作。 (Wèile néng shénghuó de gèng hǎo, zhè duì fūqī rìyè gōngzuò.) In order to live a better life, this couple works day and night. | 这对夫妻日夜工作是为了生活得更好。 (Zhè duì fūqī rìyè gōngzuò shì wèile shēnghuó de gèng hǎo.) This couple works day and night to have a better life. |
To sum up
In this post, we discussed the connecting words that we can use to express reasons and purposes. Let’s have a quick review!
Connecting words 由于 (yóuyú) and 为 (wèi) to express reasons:
由于 (yóuyú) + noun/phrase/clause, + (所以 (suǒyǐ)) + subject + verb + object |
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由于胆小，(所以) 他不愿意学习游泳。 (Yóuyú dǎnxiǎo, (suǒyǐ) tā bú yuànyì xuéxí yóuyǒng.) Due to his cowardice, he is not willing to learn to swim. |
因为 (yīnwèi) + noun/phrase/clause + 所以 (suǒyǐ) + subject + verb + object |
因为迟到了，所以他错过了考试。 (Yīnwèi chídào le, suǒyǐ tā cuòguò le kǎoshì.) Because of being late, (so) he missed the test. |
subject + verb + object + 是因为 (shì yīnwèi) + noun/phrase/clause |
他错过了考试是因为迟到了。 (Tā cuòguò le kǎoshì shì yīnwèi chídào le.) He missed the test because of being late. |
subject + 因为 (yīnwèi) + noun/phrase/clause + 而 (ér) + verb + object |
他因为迟到了而错过了考试。 (Tā yīnwèi chídào le ér cuòguò le kǎoshì.) He missed the test because of being late. |
Connecting word 为了 (wèile) to express purposes:
为了 (wèile, in order to, for) + noun/phrase, subject + verb + object |
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为了减肥，她每天只吃一顿饭。 (Wèile jiǎnféi, tā měitiān zhǐ chī yídùn fàn.) In order to lose weight, she only eats one meal a day. |
subject + verb + object + 是为了 (shì wèile, is for) + noun/phrase |
她每天只吃一顿饭是为了减肥。 (Tā měitiān zhǐ chī yídùn fàn shì wèile jiǎnféi.) She eats only one meal a day to lose weight. |
In this post we covered the connecting words for reason and purpose. Why don’t you also check the connecting words for manners, exclusions, and additions?
为了学好介词，去试试练习题吧！ (wèile xuéhǎo jiècí, qù shìshi liànxí tí ba, In order to learn these connecting words, (please) go and study the exercises!)Downloadable Resources
Elevate your language-learning journey to new heights with the following downloadable resources.
