Chinese Grammar: Expressing purpose in Chinese with 为了， 好让 and 之所以

There's nothing Lupishu enjoys more than telling others of the adventure he's on, the new friends he's made learning Chinese, the moments where things got tough and motivation wavered a bit, but more importantly, how he always recovered. Why is that? Because Lupishu has a clear sense of purpose. He knows why he and Nincha have to face so many trials, he knows how much is at stake. One thing he doesn't know, though, is to express his purpose in Chinese. What words should he use? Dear Master Yocha luckily has a feline 6th sense and as always, knows this is the time he needs to swoop in and save the day.

So what words does Yocha use in Chinese to express purpose? Let's let him teach these now.

Using 为了 to express purpose

In Chinese, you can use 为了 to express the purpose or indicate someone benefits from something. 为了 is usually used as a preposition, so it is placed before a verb.

Structure

为了+ Purpose + Clause explaining what happened

As you see, in Chinese, you first convey the purpose, then explain how or what action is performed for that purpose.

Examples

为了 取得 好 的 成绩 ， 他 每天 努力 学习。
In order to get good grades, he studies hard every day.

为了 学好 中文 ， 我 去 了 中国。
For the purpose of learning Chinese well, I went to China.

为了 她 ， 他 可以 不顾一切。
For her, he can be reckless.

As you can see in the examples, 为了 may be little in shape, but it has a lot of different ways of being translated in English!

Use the pattern (之所以)...是 为了 to give a reason to your purpose

To flesh out your purpose with a reason, you can also use this pattern: (之所以)...是 为了... In this situation, 为了 is always used after 是 and goes with 之所以 to indicate the purpose or the reason. It’s similar to “the reason why...is...” structure in English.

Do note that 之所以 is a more formal dude, so use this pattern wisely!

Structure

[Subject + 之所以 + purpose + 是 为了 + purpose/reason]

Examples

我 之所以 离开 你 是 为了 让 你 更 自由。
The reason why I left you is to give you more freedom.

我 之所以 这样 做 是 为了 你好。
I did all this because it is right for you.

他 之所以 穿 这么 少 是 为了 看起来 苗条。
The reason why he's wearing so little is that he wanted to look slim.

Purpose with 好 让

You can also use 好 让 to express “in order to”. Let's break it down. The very familiar verb 好 can also mean "in order to" or "for the sake of" when placed before a verb phrase, and therefore expresses the purpose. Add to that the verb 让, "to let", "to allow" and you've got yourself a slightly more complex, but by no means complicated, way of expressing "in order to".

Basically, all you need to do is add a purpose after 好 让 and you're in business. You'll usually find 好 让 in the second part of the sentence, explaining the purpose or reason of the actions demanded in the first part of the sentence.

Structure

[好 让 + verb + reason]

Examples

请 把 车 停 到 里面 ， 好 让 别人 走路。
Park your car inside, in order to allow others to walk.

你 走 慢 点儿， 好 让 我 跟上 你。
Walk a bit slower (in order) so I can follow you.

我们 应该 不断 引导 他 ， 好 让 他 对 自己 有 信心。
We should continue to guide him, in order for him to have faith in himself.

Ready to share your purpose now in Chinese? These structures are pretty simple, right? Let's practice more in the exercise part!