胡為

See also: 胡为

Chinese

		barbarian; recklessly; surname	because of; for; to because of; for; to; act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become
trad. (胡為/胡爲)		胡	為/爲
simp. (胡为)		胡	为

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

[Show/Hide]
edit edit 胡为 胡為／胡为

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): húwéi

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨˊ ㄨㄟˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wu⁴ wai⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: húwéi
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨˊ ㄨㄟˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: húwéi
    • Wade–Giles: hu²-wei²
    • Yale: hú-wéi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hwuwei
    • Palladius: хувэй (xuvɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵/
    • Homophones:
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wu⁴ wai⁴
    • Yale: wùh wàih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wu⁴ wai⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: wu⁴ wei⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wuː²¹ wɐi̯²¹/

Verb

胡為

1. to act like a bully; to act recklessly

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Rime
Character	胡	為
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	模 (23)	支 (14)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	戸吳切	于僞切
Baxter	hu	hjweH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦuo/	/ɦˠiuᴇH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦuo/	/ɦʷᵚiɛH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣo/	/ɣiuɛH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦɔ/	/ɦjwiə̆H/
Li Rong	/ɣo/	/ɣjueH/
Wang Li	/ɣu/	/ɣǐweH/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣuo/	/wie̯H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hú	wèi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wu4	wai6

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	胡	為
Reading #	1/1	2/2
No.	4255
Phonetic component	古	爲
Rime group	魚	歌
Rime subdivision	0	1
Corresponding MC rime	胡	爲
Old Chinese	/*ɡaː/	/*ɢʷals/

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): húwèi

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨˊ ㄨㄟˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wu⁴ wai⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: húwèi
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨˊ ㄨㄟˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: húwèi
    • Wade–Giles: hu²-wei⁴
    • Yale: hú-wèi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hwuwey
    • Palladius: хувэй (xuvɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu³⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wu⁴ wai⁶
    • Yale: wùh waih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wu⁴ wai⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: wu⁴ wei⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wuː²¹ wɐi̯²²/

---

• Middle Chinese: hu hjweH

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡaː  ɢʷals/

Pronoun

胡為

1. (literary) why; how

   Synonym: 為什麼／为什么 (wèishénme)

   • 胡為我作，不即我謀？ [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     胡为我作，不即我谋？ [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Húwèi wǒ zuò, bù jí wǒ móu? [Pinyin]

     But why does he call us to action, without coming and consulting with us?

   • 胡為其不然也？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     胡为其不然也？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Húwèi qí bùrán yě? [Pinyin]

     Why should it not have been so?

Synonyms

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		何為, 何以, 何, 何故, 緣何, 胡, 奚, 曷, 胡為
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		為什麼, 為何, 因何, 何以
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	為什麼, 幹嗎, 幹什麼
	Taiwan	為什麼
	Harbin	為啥
	Malaysia	為什麼, 做什麼, 做麼
	Singapore	為什麼, 做什麼, 做麼
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	為嘛
	Jinan	為麼兒, 為麼, 幹麼兒, 為什麼
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	為麼, 為麼個
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	為啥, 因啥
	Xining	為啥
	Xuzhou	為啥, 擁啥, 擁什麼
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	為啥
	Lanzhou	為啥
	Ürümqi	為啥
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	為啥子, 做啥子
	Wuhan	做麼事, 為麼事
	Guiyang	為哪樣, 為些哪樣
	Guilin	為什麼
	Liuzhou	為什麼
	Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)	為什麼
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	為什麼
	Yangzhou	甚們事, 做事, 做啥, 為甚們 formal
	Hefei	怎搞, 怎搞的
Cantonese	Guangzhou	點解, 做乜, 做乜嘢, 為乜, 為乜為物, 做乜事幹, 因乜事幹, 因乜解究, 因乜緣故, 何解, 乜, 咩
	Hong Kong	點解, 做乜, 做乜嘢, 做咩, 為乜, 為咩, 做乜事幹, 因乜事幹, 因乜解究, 因咩解究, 因乜緣故, 何解, 乜, 咩
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	做乜嘢
	Macau	為乜嘢
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	點解
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	整乜嘢
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	做乜嘢
	Foshan	點解
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	點解
	Foshan (Shunde)	為乜嘢
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	因乜嘢, 點解
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	為乜嘢
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	為乜嘢
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	點解
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	點解
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	點解
	Taishan	幾何, 幾解, 做乜, 為乜, 乜頭路
	Kaiping (Chikan)	幾解
	Enping (Niujiang)	做乜
	Dongguan	點解, 做乜嘢, 做乜, 為乜嘢
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	點解
	Shenzhen (Dapeng)	點解
	Yangjiang	為乜, 為乜事, 做乜, 做乜事, 做乜嘢
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	為物底
	Qinzhou	為乜嘢, 為乜
	Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	為乜底
	Beihai	為乜嘢
	Beihai (Nankang)	做乜嘢
	Beihai (Yingpan)	為乜底
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	做乜嘢, 為乜
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	做乜嘢
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	做乜嘢, 為乜
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	點解
	Singapore (Guangfu)	點解
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	做乜嘢
	Móng Cái	點解, 為乜
	Yangon (Taishan)	幾解
Gan	Nanchang	為什哩
	Pingxiang	為咋個, 為咋哩, 做咋個, 做咋哩, 何解
Hakka	Meixian	做麼個
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	做乜嘢, 做嘢
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	做麼個
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	做麼個
	Zhongshan (Wuguishan)	仰解, 做乜嘢
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	為乜嘢
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	為麼個
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	做麼個
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	做麼個
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	做麼個
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	做麼個
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	做麼個
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	做麼個
	Hong Kong	做麼個
	Kuching (Hepo)	做乜個
Jin	Taiyuan	為甚, 因為甚, 幹什
	Xinzhou	𠰻們
Northern Min	Jian'ou	為孰事, 做孰事
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	蔣其, 蔣講, 做什乇, 做什名, 幹乜勢, 傒勢
	Fuzhou (Changle)	傒勢
	Fuqing	介計
	Yongtai	蔣其
	Gutian	做什乇
	Fu'an	做乜乇
	Ningde	做乇
	Shouning	做呢乇
	Zhouning	做乜乇
	Fuding	做哪乇
	Matsu	為什乇, 蔣其, 蔣講, 做什乇, 傒勢
Southern Min	Xiamen	為什物, 按怎, 物代, 敢咧, 創什物
	Quanzhou	按怎, 物代
	Jinjiang	為啥物
	Zhangzhou	按怎
	Zhao'an	為甚物
	Dongshan	為甚物
	Taipei	為啥物, 是按怎
	Penang (Hokkien)	何物事, 做物事, 做物
	Singapore (Hokkien)	按怎
	Manila (Hokkien)	敢哪, 敢哪誌
	Chaozhou	做呢
	Shantou	做呢
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	做呢
	Singapore (Teochew)	做呢
	Leizhou	作乜, 因乜
	Wenchang	作乜, 因乜, 怎作
	Haikou	作乜, 作個乜, 作乜物, 因乜, 因個乜
	Singapore (Hainanese)	作乜
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	為乜嘢
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	做門, 做哪門, 為哪門
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	為什個
Wu	Shanghai	啥體, 為啥, 做啥, 啥講究, 為啥體, 啥個講究, 啥道理, 為啥道理, 啥個路道, 啥個緣故
	Shanghai (Chongming)	為何, 做何
	Suzhou	為啥, 為點啥, 做啥, 啥體, 為啥體
	Danyang	為點高, 做點高
	Hangzhou	為啥
	Wenzhou	妝乜, 為何呢, 為乜事幹
	Jinhua	為淡事幹, 為待西
Xiang	Changsha	為麼子, 何解
	Xiangtan	奚解
	Loudi	嗎介
	Shuangfeng	為麼子, 做麼子

Dialectal synonyms of 為什麼 (“why”) [map]