<blockquote>
<p>[为了 (A) 而 (B)] = [to (B) for (A)]</p>
<p>It is a two parts conjunction that connect A and B</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>为了[中华之崛起] = For [China's rising to prominence]</p>
<p>而 [读书] = to [read]</p>
<p>为了中华之崛起而读书 = to read for China's rising to prominence</p>
<p><em>you can omit 'to' in the English sentence and say &quot;read for China's rising to prominence&quot;</em></p>
<p><em>you can also omit &quot;而&quot;  in the Chinese sentence and say &quot;为了中华之崛起读书&quot;.</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>之 = 的. In this context,</p>
<p>A noun followed by 之/的 make it an adjectival phrase</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>中华(noun)- China</p>
<p>中华之 (adjectival phrase) - China's / of China</p>
<blockquote>
<p>崛起 means rise abruptly; rise to prominence</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-22T06:16:20.037Z
"studying" might be a more idiomatic translation of 读书
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-22T06:37:36.597Z
"Studying" is more general. You can study without going to school or read. Consider at the time of the speech, the education level in China was very low. 周恩来 was encouraging people to go get education in school or at least learn from reading books, so that the population's intellectual level would rise. I meant it was unrealistic to hope for having general education for all people in those days. But anyone could read books to improve himself
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-22T17:52:13.513Z
Perhaps "educate yourself", then? Saying just "read" in English does not have any implication of bettering oneself. "Read (50 Shades of Gray) to bring about China's rise!"
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-23T01:35:22.567Z
@StumpyJoePete Might relieve some tension.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-22T05:22:54.773Z
2019-06-22T05:31:00.687Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>Found this <a href="https://www.zybang.com/question/d2c663aadcc7d97a71c5762281ea7bab.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>. Hope it is accurate!</p>

<p>1910年夏,12岁的周恩来,跟随伯父到东北奉天,先在铁岭银岗书院读了半年
书,后来,转入奉天关东模范学堂读书.</p>

<p>有一次,老师提出“为什么读书”的问题,要同学们回答.
有的说“为了明礼而读书”,
有的说“为了光宗耀祖而读书”,
还有一个学生说“为了帮助父亲记账而读书”, 弄得哄堂大笑.
当老师问到周恩来时,他站起来响亮而严肃地回答说：</p>

<p>“为中华崛起而读书.”</p>

<p>充分表达了少年周恩来要为祖国独立富强而发愤学习的宏
伟志向.</p>

<p>12岁的周恩来讲这样的！</p>

<p>为什么读书?<br>
为中华崛起而读书.<br>
For the betterment of our motherland we study.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-22T22:45:35.000Z
2019-06-22T22:45:35.000Z
Pedroski
<p>为了中华之崛起而读书==为了+(中华+之+崛起)+而+读书
为了....而=for
中华+之+崛起=Chinese's standing up
读书==reading books</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-28T13:20:25.120Z
Please answer the OP's question.
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-28T11:57:59.503Z
2019-06-28T11:57:59.503Z
cauckf
<p>This was listed as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Enlai" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Zhou Enlai</a> (周恩来) quote in my 3-rd grade Chinese book:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>为了中华之崛起而读书<br>
  <sup>Wèile Zhōnghuá zhī juéqǐ ér dúshū</sup><br>
  Reading for the rise of China [<a href="https://translate.google.cn/#view=home&amp;op=translate&amp;sl=auto&amp;tl=en&amp;text=%E4%B8%BA%E4%BA%86%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%B9%8B%E5%B4%9B%E8%B5%B7%E8%80%8C%E8%AF%BB%E4%B9%A6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google Translate</a>]</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: How do I parse this quote?</p>

<p>Breaking it apart:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E4%B8%BA%E4%BA%86/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">为了</a> = "for"</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中华</a> = formal abbreviated term meaning "China"</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E4%B9%8B/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">之</a> = (?)</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E5%B4%9B%E8%B5%B7" rel="nofollow noreferrer">崛起</a> = "rise sharply"</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E8%80%8C" rel="nofollow noreferrer">而</a> = "and" or "also" (?)</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E8%AF%BB%E4%B9%A6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">读书</a> = read books</li>
</ul>

<p>I think I get the general meaning: reading books will lead to China's steep rise.  But it's not clear how it pieces together, and thus I may have totally misinterpreted it.</p>

<translation>
How do I parse the Zhou Enlai quote 为了中华之崛起而读书?
# How do I parse the Zhou Enlai quote 为了中华之崛起而读书?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-22)

This was listed as a [Zhou Enlai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Enlai) (周恩来) quote in my 3-rd grade Chinese book:

> 为了中华之崛起而读书  
> Wèile Zhōnghuá zhī juéqǐ ér dúshū  
> Reading for the rise of China [[Google Translate](https://translate.google.cn/#view=home&op=translate&sl=auto&tl=en&text=%E4%B8%BA%E4%BA%86%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%B9%8B%E5%B4%9B%E8%B5%B7%E8%80%8C%E8%AF%BB%E4%B9%A6)]

**Question**: How do I parse this quote?

Breaking it apart:

* [为了](http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E4%B8%BA%E4%BA%86/) = "for"
* [中华](http://youdao.com/w/%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E/) = formal abbreviated term meaning "China"
* [之](http://youdao.com/w/%E4%B9%8B/) = (?)
* [崛起](http://youdao.com/w/%E5%B4%9B%E8%B5%B7) = "rise sharply"
* [而](http://youdao.com/w/%E8%80%8C) = "and" or "also" (?)
* [读书](http://youdao.com/w/%E8%AF%BB%E4%B9%A6) = read books

I think I get the general meaning: reading books will lead to China's steep rise. But it's not clear how it pieces together, and thus I may have totally misinterpreted it.

**Tags:** translation


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-06-22. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

> [为了 (A) 而 (B)] = [to (B) for (A)]
>
> It is a two parts conjunction that connect A and B

Example:

为了[中华之崛起] = For [China's rising to prominence]

而 [读书] = to [read]

为了中华之崛起而读书 = to read for China's rising to prominence

*you can omit 'to' in the English sentence and say "read for China's rising to prominence"*

*you can also omit "而" in the Chinese sentence and say "为了中华之崛起读书".*

> 之 = 的. In this context,
>
> A noun followed by 之/的 make it an adjectival phrase

Example:

中华(noun)- China

中华之 (adjectival phrase) - China's / of China

> 崛起 means rise abruptly; rise to prominence

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: "studying" might be a more idiomatic translation of 读书  
> **username_1**: "Studying" is more general. You can study without going to school or read. Consider at the time of the speech, the education level in China was very low. 周恩来 was encouraging people to go get education in school or at least learn from reading books, so that the population's intellectual level would rise. I meant it was unrealistic to hope for having general education for all people in those days. But anyone could read books to improve himself  
> **username_2**: Perhaps "educate yourself", then? Saying just "read" in English does not have any implication of bettering oneself. "Read (50 Shades of Gray) to bring about China's rise!"  
> **username_3**: @StumpyJoePete Might relieve some tension.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2019-06-22. Score: 3

Found this [here](https://www.zybang.com/question/d2c663aadcc7d97a71c5762281ea7bab.html). Hope it is accurate!

1910年夏,12岁的周恩来,跟随伯父到东北奉天,先在铁岭银岗书院读了半年
书,后来,转入奉天关东模范学堂读书.

有一次,老师提出“为什么读书”的问题,要同学们回答.
有的说“为了明礼而读书”,
有的说“为了光宗耀祖而读书”,
还有一个学生说“为了帮助父亲记账而读书”, 弄得哄堂大笑.
当老师问到周恩来时,他站起来响亮而严肃地回答说：

“为中华崛起而读书.”

充分表达了少年周恩来要为祖国独立富强而发愤学习的宏
伟志向.

12岁的周恩来讲这样的！

为什么读书?  
为中华崛起而读书.  
For the betterment of our motherland we study.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-06-28. Score: 0

为了中华之崛起而读书==为了+(中华+之+崛起)+而+读书
为了....而=for
中华+之+崛起=Chinese's standing up
读书==reading books

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Please answer the OP's question.  

---

