Prepositions of Cause & Purpose: 由于, 因为, 为了
因为...所以... — reason → result (review). 因为下雨，所以我们没去。
由于 (yóuyú) "due to, owing to" — more formal/written than 因为. Often opens a sentence, and pairs naturally with a bare noun-phrase reason: 由于...原因/由于经济原因. The result clause doesn't need 所以.
为了 (wèile) "in order to, for the purpose of" — introduces a forward-looking GOAL, not a past reason. Structure: 为了 + goal, + subject + action. ✅ 为了学好汉语，他每天练习。
Key contrast: 因为/由于 answer "why did X happen" (a reason already true); 为了 answers "what is X for" (a goal aimed at). ❌ 为了他生病了 → ✅ 因为他生病了.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 由于天气不好，比赛取消了。 | Yóuyú tiānqì bù hǎo, bǐsài qǔxiāo le. | Due to bad weather, the match was cancelled. | 由于 introduces a formal reason; no 所以 is needed in the result clause. |
| 为了学好汉语，他每天都练习写汉字。 | Wèile xuéhǎo Hànyǔ, tā měitiān dōu liànxí xiě Hànzì. | In order to learn Chinese well, he practices writing characters every day. | 为了 + goal comes first, then subject + action — a forward-looking purpose, not a past reason. |
| 由于工作太忙，他不得不取消了旅行计划。 | Yóuyú gōngzuò tài máng, tā bùdébù qǔxiāole lǚxíng jìhuà. | Because work was too busy, he had no choice but to cancel his travel plans. | 由于's formal reason clause can lead into a more complex consequence with 不得不. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Prepositions of Cause & Purpose among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Prepositions of Cause & Purpose is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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