Prepositions of Purpose, Exclusion and Basis
以 (with, by), 鉴于 (in view of), 出于 (out of) and 唯独 (only, with one exception) are formal words that introduce purpose, basis, motive and exclusion. 鉴于 names an outside fact, while 出于 names the doer's own motive.
In English
These written prepositions introduce a basis, a motive or an exception. 以 means 'with' or 'by means of' (以质量取胜). 鉴于 introduces the objective fact on which a decision rests and often begins an official sentence (鉴于目前的情况，公司决定…).
出于 introduces the doer's motive (出于好意, 出于安全考虑). 唯独 singles out one exception among many (大家都同意，唯独他反对). The pairs that are most often confused are 鉴于 and 出于: a fact in the world takes 鉴于, a motive in someone's mind takes 出于.
以 = 用、拿来（引出目的/方式，书面语）：以此表示感谢（=用这个表示感谢）；公司以质量取胜（=靠质量取胜）。常见结构'以…为…'（以诚信为本）。
鉴于 = 考虑到、有鉴于（引出做出某决定的客观依据，句首常见，正式公文/报告开头）：鉴于目前的市场情况，公司决定暂缓扩张计划。
出于 = 出自、基于（引出动机，多接抽象名词）：他这样做是出于好意/出于安全考虑。'出于'强调内在动机，'鉴于'强调外部客观依据——二者常被混用，需要根据后面接的是'动机'还是'客观情况'来判断。
唯独 = 只有…是例外（排除，强调众多之中唯一不同的一个）：大家都同意了，唯独他一个人反对。
常见错误：'鉴于'和'出于'不能互换——鉴于后面接客观情况/事实，出于后面接主观动机/原因。
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 他出于好意提醒了我，我却误会了他。 | Tā chū yú hǎo yì tí xǐng le wǒ, wǒ què wù huì le tā. | He reminded me out of good intentions, but I misunderstood him. | 出于 introducing a subjective motivation (好意) — the minimal frame. |
| 鉴于最近事故频发，工厂决定暂停生产，全面检查设备安全。 | Jiàn yú zuì jìn shì gù pín fā, gōng chǎng jué dìng zàn tíng shēng chǎn, quán miàn jiǎn chá shè bèi ān quán. | In view of the recent frequent accidents, the factory decided to suspend production and conduct a full safety inspection of equipment. | 鉴于 introducing an objective, factual basis (frequent accidents) — contrasted with 出于's subjective motivation. |
| 鉴于本季度业绩不理想，公司决定以裁员的方式降低成本，部门里几乎所有人都表示理解，唯独有一位老员工出于对公司的感情，一直无法接受这个决定。 | Jiàn yú běn jì dù yè jì bù lǐ xiǎng, gōng sī jué dìng yǐ cái yuán de fāng shì jiàng dī chéng běn, bù mén lǐ jī hū suǒ yǒu rén dōu biǎo shì lǐ jiě, wéi dú yǒu yī wèi lǎo yuán gōng chū yú duì gōng sī de gǎn qíng, yī zhí wú fǎ jiē shòu zhè ge jué dìng. | In view of this quarter's disappointing performance, the company decided to cut costs by way of layoffs; nearly everyone in the department expressed understanding, except that one veteran employee, out of feeling for the company, could never accept this decision. | 鉴于, 以, 唯独, and 出于 combined in one dense formal-register sentence, using all four target words together. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
以 (yǐ)
A written 'with' or 'by means of', also 'taking ... as'.
Structure: 以 + means/basis + verb
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他以优异的成绩考上了大学。 | Tā yǐ yōu yì de chéng jì kǎo shàng le dà xué. | He got into university with excellent grades. |
| 这家店以服务周到闻名。 | Zhè jiā diàn yǐ fú wù zhōu dào wén míng. | This shop is famous for its attentive service. |
| 他举起杯子，以茶代酒向大家表示感谢。 | Tā jǔ qǐ bēi zi, yǐ chá dài jiǔ xiàng dà jiā biǎo shì gǎn xiè. | He raised his cup and thanked everyone with tea in place of wine. |
Not: 我以了钥匙开门。 以 does not take 了 and is written; in speech say 用钥匙开门.
鉴于 (jiàn yú)
Opens a clause with the objective fact on which a decision is based: 'in view of'.
Structure: 鉴于 + fact, decision
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 鉴于天气不好，比赛改在室内进行。 | Jiàn yú tiān qì bù hǎo, bǐ sài gǎi zài shì nèi jìn xíng. | In view of the bad weather, the match was moved indoors. |
| 鉴于他的特殊情况，学校同意延期交作业。 | Jiàn yú tā de tè shū qíng kuàng, xué xiào tóng yì yán qī jiāo zuò yè. | Given his special circumstances, the school agreed to extend the deadline. |
| 鉴于顾客的反映，商店调整了营业时间。 | Jiàn yú gù kè de fǎn yìng, shāng diàn tiáo zhěng le yíng yè shí jiān. | In view of customer feedback, the shop changed its opening hours. |
Not: 鉴于我喜欢，所以买了。 鉴于 gives an objective basis for a decision, and a personal liking is just 因为.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 7-9, conjunctions (连接分句或句子); level 7-9, prepositions (引出凭借、依据).
出于 (chū yú)
Gives the motive behind an act: 'out of'.
Structure: 出于 + motive, verb
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他出于好奇，打开了那个盒子。 | Tā chū yú hào qí, dǎ kāi le nà ge hé zi. | Out of curiosity he opened the box. |
| 出于安全考虑，请不要在这里停车。 | Chū yú ān quán kǎo lǜ, qǐng bú yào zài zhè lǐ tíng chē. | For safety reasons, please do not park here. |
| 她出于礼貌，没有拒绝他的邀请。 | Tā chū yú lǐ mào, méi yǒu jù jué tā de yāo qǐng. | Out of politeness, she did not refuse his invitation. |
Not: 出于天气不好，我们取消了。 出于 takes a motive; the weather is an external fact, which is 鉴于.
唯独 (wéi dú)
Singles out the one exception among many: 'only'.
Structure: Group + all + 唯独 + exception
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 大家都来了，唯独小王没来。 | Dà jiā dōu lái le, wéi dú Xiǎo Wáng méi lái. | Everyone came except Xiao Wang. |
| 这家店什么都卖，唯独不卖香烟。 | Zhè jiā diàn shén me dōu mài, wéi dú bú mài xiāng yān. | This shop sells everything except cigarettes. |
| 我什么菜都吃，唯独受不了香菜。 | Wǒ shén me cài dōu chī, wéi dú shòu bu liǎo xiāng cài. | I eat any dish, except that I cannot stand coriander. |
Not: 唯独小王来了，别人也来了。 唯独 marks the only exception, so the others cannot also do it.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 7-9, adverbs (范围副词).
Compared side by side: 鉴于 vs 出于.
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.
Questions about Prepositions of Purpose, Exclusion and Basis
What does 引出目的、原因、排除与凭借的介词 (Prepositions of Purpose, Exclusion and Basis) mean in Chinese?
以 (with, by), 鉴于 (in view of), 出于 (out of) and 唯独 (only, with one exception) are formal words that introduce purpose, basis, motive and exclusion. 鉴于 names an outside fact, while 出于 names the doer's own motive. It is an HSK 6 grammar point.
How do you use 引出目的、原因、排除与凭借的介词 (Prepositions of Purpose, Exclusion and Basis) in a sentence?
他出于好意提醒了我，我却误会了他。 — Tā chū yú hǎo yì tí xǐng le wǒ, wǒ què wù huì le tā. — He reminded me out of good intentions, but I misunderstood him. 出于 introducing a subjective motivation (好意) — the minimal frame.
What do you need to know before 引出目的、原因、排除与凭借的介词 (Prepositions of Purpose, Exclusion and Basis)?
Prepositions of Time, Place, Direction and Object (HSK 6), 按照/根据 (HSK 4), Agent Prepositions (HSK 5). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What is the difference between 鉴于 and 出于?
鉴于 points to an outside fact that leads to a decision: 鉴于天气，取消活动. 出于 points to the doer's own motive: 出于好意, 出于安全考虑. Ask whether the reason is a fact in the world or a motive in someone's mind.
Is 以 the same as 用?
In many cases yes: 以茶代酒 and 用茶代酒 both work. 以 is the written choice and is also used in fixed patterns, such as 以…为… (taking ... as ...).
Prepositions of Purpose, Exclusion and Basis 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.
Start at your true level