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FrequencyAmong the 20 most common characters in written Chinese
为 is one of the most common characters in Chinese, with two readings that learners must keep apart: wéi 'to be, to act as, to do' and wèi 'for, for the sake of, because of'. You meet it very early in 为什么 (why), 因为 (because) and 为了 (in order to), and later in 认为 (to think), 成为 (to become) and 行为 (behaviour). The traditional form 為 looks quite different from simplified 为, so it is worth learning both shapes together.
Mandarinwéi · ㄨㄟˊ
Cantonesewai4 · wàih
The second reading wèi (Cantonese wai6, Yale waih) means 'for / because of' and is the one in 为什么, 因为, 为了. Rough rule: when 为 means 'do / act as / be', it is wéi; when it introduces a reason or beneficiary, it is wèi.
verb(wéi) to be; to act as; to serve as; to count as
verb(wéi) to do; to act (literary or in set phrases, e.g. 事在人为)
preposition(wèi) for; for the sake of; on behalf of
preposition(wèi) because of; owing to (chiefly in 因为)
particle(wéi) forms set patterns such as 以…为… 'take … as …', 被…所为, and adverb endings like 大为, 极为 'greatly, extremely'
Other pronunciations
wèi · wai6 for, for the sake of; because of; on behalf of — as in 为了, 因为, 为什么, 为人民服务
How it is built
compound ideograph
Radical 丶. dot (the assigned radical of the simplified form; the traditional form 為 is filed under 爪 'claw/hand').
爪meaning In the traditional form 為, the top is a hand/claw — the hand that leads or works.
象meaning The lower part of 為 is a worn-down form of an elephant; simplified 为 is a cursive abbreviation of the whole shape and no longer shows either part clearly.
Origin
Oracle-bone forms of 為 show a hand (爪/又) above an elephant, usually read as a person leading or driving an elephant to work — hence 'to do, to make, to act'. This reading goes back to Luo Zhenyu's early 20th-century analysis and is now the standard account, though it is an inference from the picture rather than a documented fact, and some scholars are cautious about it. By seal script the elephant was already unrecognisable, and the simplified 为 comes from a cursive (草书) shorthand of 爲/為, so none of the original parts survive in it.
Remembering it
Think of the traditional 為 as a hand on top of an elephant: putting an elephant to work is the original 'to do'. For the simplified 为, remember it as 办 'to handle' with the two flanking dots removed — both are about getting things done.
The commonest mistake is 认为 vs 以为: 认为 states an opinion you still hold, while 以为 usually implies you were mistaken (我以为今天是星期一 'I thought it was Monday — but it isn't'). In Cantonese speech, 为什么 is not used; people say 點解 (dim2 gaai2). 为 wèi is also common in formal fixed phrases such as 为人民服务 'serve the people'. Note that 2 of the 3 everyday words (因为, 为了, 为什么) all take the wèi reading.
Context
为人民服务 (wèi rénmín fúwù, 'Serve the People'), written by Mao Zedong, is one of the best-known political slogans in modern China and still appears carved on government buildings. The idiom 事在人为 (shì zài rén wéi) — 'success depends on human effort' — is a common encouragement.
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