CANTONESE ↔ ENGLISH · CC-CANTO

為

简为 · 繁為

Cantonese · source Jyutpingwai6#

(conjunction) 1. As; (verb)
do; (noun)
behaviour; 2. Conduct; (of suffix) used after an adverb or after an adjective to form an adverb.

Cantonese · source Jyutpingwai4#

to do
to be
to govern
to act as
be…by
used after an adjective to form an adverb
used after an adverb for emphasis
as (in the capacity of)
to take something as
to serve as
to behave as
to become

Cantonese · source Jyutpingwai6#

because of
for
on account of
on behalf of
by (in the passive voice)

About these definitions

Source definition segments, in their original order. Characters a definition cites are shown without their Mandarin pinyin; classifier lists that CC-Canto copied from CC-CEDICT are marked Mandarin. The community dictionary is not independently verified by zimai.

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Reading & tones

wai66 · low level

wai44 · low falling

Schematic citation-tone diagrams from the source numbers. These are not recordings or predictions of connected speech.

Tone difference from Unihan

為 is read wai6 here; Unihan’s citation reading is wai4. Same syllable, different tone across these source readings. CC-Canto also lists 為 wai6 as its own entry.

Computed by zimai: each syllable of the CC-Canto word reading is compared with Unihan 17.0.0 kCantonese for its character. The comparison does not say why a reading differs (a changed tone, 變音, a reading tied to one meaning, or a source variant).

Same syllable, six tones

wai威wai1power 委wai2to entrust 畏wai3to fear 为wai4to do 伟wai5big 位wai6position

Characters whose customary Unihan reading (kCantonese) is this syllable in each tone, chosen as in the tone atlas (2013 standard level, then the number of CC-CEDICT words they form), with CC-Canto 2017's meaning for that reading; a dash means no catalogue character has that reading. Checked syllables (-p, -t, -k) normally carry tones 1, 3 and 6. Character readings, not word readings; no frequency implied.

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Written characters

為为

Both source spellings are represented. Written membership is not an etymological or semantic claim.

Cantonese characters and the Mandarin bridge ↗

Mandarin comparison · separate source entries

CC-CEDICT, the Mandarin–English dictionary, lists the same written form:

為 wéi CC-CEDICT · Mandarinas (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; …
為 wèi CC-CEDICT · Mandarinbecause of; for; to

A separate source entry, shown for comparison. The same characters can carry different senses in Mandarin and in Cantonese; zimai does not align these senses.

CC-Canto includes this pinyin reference: wei4. It does not establish a Mandarin word with the same meaning.

Look up this spelling in the Mandarin dictionary ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 14 senses · 2 Cantonese readings