为 + Person (for someone's sake)
IntroducedWork for the people using the service
- A community team helps residents. we我们for为everyone大家serve服务。 — We serve everyone. we我们 names the workers; everyone大家 names the people served.
- The sentence states whom the service is for. It does not prove every resident used it or was satisfied.
A team is working to help its community. What does 我们为大家服务。 communicate?
大家 names the people served by the action. 为 marks a beneficiary or motive in established combinations. 为了 can introduce a purpose, and their meanings may overlap rather than forming an absolute divide.
Place the person before the action
- In this pattern, use subject + for为 + person + action. for为 is read wèi: for为everyone大家serve服务, for为friend朋友preparation准备evening meal晚饭 — prepare dinner for a friend.
- The friend receives the intended benefit. The cook and the friend are different roles; do not swap them when translating.
we我们for为everyone大家serve服务。
Use this lesson’s target form 为 in the demonstrated sentence: Serve everyone: 我们 ____ 大家服务。
为 + Person + VP = for someone: 为大家服务.
For someone can have different jobs
- I / me我for为you你happy高兴。 — I am happy for you. Your situation is the reason for my happiness; this is not a service delivered to you.
- I / me我for为friend朋友preparation准备evening meal晚饭。 names the friend for whom dinner is prepared. Read for为 with its surrounding action rather than assigning one role everywhere.
Which contrast fits these complete examples: 为大家服务 and 为了早点到，我坐了地铁?
These complete examples have different roles. This is not an absolute ban on overlapping purpose meanings.
Match the whole phrase to the role of the person named after 为.
The surrounding action determines whether the person is served or prompts the feeling.
Compare a person with an explicit goal
- in order to / for the purpose of为了breakfast早点to / arrive到，I / me我to sit坐(completed / change)了underground railway地铁。 — To arrive earlier, I took the metro. in order to / for the purpose of为了 introduces the goal of arriving earlier.
- for为 and in order to / for the purpose of为了 can overlap in purpose meanings. “for为 always means a person; in order to / for the purpose of为了 always means a non-person goal” is too rigid; learn each complete construction.
In 我们为大家服务, 大家 names the people served, while 我们 names the workers.
The role is bounded to this service example; 为你高兴 describes whose situation prompts happiness.
为 and 为了 never overlap in meaning.
为 marks a beneficiary or motive in established combinations. 为了 can introduce a purpose, and their meanings may overlap rather than forming an absolute divide. 大家 names the people served by the action.
为了早点到，我坐了地铁。 What is the stated goal?
早点到 is arriving earlier; taking the metro is the action chosen toward that goal.
Purpose does not guarantee success
- The cook says I / me我for为friend朋友preparation准备(completed / change)了evening meal晚饭，but但friend朋友not / haven't没to come来。 Dinner was prepared for the friend, but the friend did not come.
- The stated purpose remains even when the intended recipient does not eat. for为friend朋友 does not prove a successful delivery or a return favour.
我为朋友准备了晚饭，但朋友没来 proves the friend ate the prepared dinner.
The purpose is preparation for the friend; the friend did not come, and eating is not reported.
Identify who acts and why
- In for为everyone大家serve服务, locate the workers, the people served and the action. In for为you你happy高兴, locate whose situation prompts the happiness.
- For an explicit goal, read the whole in order to / for the purpose of为了 phrase. Do not turn a purpose or intended benefit into a guaranteed outcome.
Read the full reference: HSK 5 grammar — Prepositions.
Recall the situation: Work for the people using the service. Decide what the speaker wanted to communicate. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.