Chinese word

为何

Pronunciation

Pinyinwèi hé

Meaning

  • adverbwhy

Example

你为何不来？nǐ wèi hé bù lái

Why aren't you coming?

Illustration for 为何 (why)

More examples

我不知道为何他会突然离职。wǒ bù zhī dào wèi hé tā huì tū rán lí zhí

I don't know why he suddenly quit.

Core concept

It points to the reason behind an action and asks for that reason in a concise, formal register.

Common phrases

  • 不知道为何bù zhī dào wèi hé

    don't know why

  • 很难说为何hěn nán shuō wèi hé

    difficult to say why

Similar words

为什么wèi shén me: Asks directly about the cause of an event or action.
怎么zěn me: Asks for a reason in everyday, conversational speech.
干吗gàn má: Asks what purpose or need lies behind an action in casual speech.
怎么会zěn me huì: Asks how an unexpected situation could have occurred with a sense of surprise.

Definition in Chinese

表示询问原因或理由，等同于“为什么”，多用于书面或正式语境。biǎo shì xún wèn yuán yīn huò lǐ yóu děng tóng yú wèi shén me duō yòng yú shū miàn huò zhèng shì yǔ jìng

Word origin

为 (wéi, "for") + 何 (hé, "what") forms the compact sense "for what reason," a pattern retained especially in formal writing.

Usage tips

  • In relaxed spoken Chinese, this form can sound bookish, while it fits essays, reports, public statements, and other formal contexts naturally.

Word lists with this word