<blockquote>
<p>该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here we can extract the stem of the sentence: <code>该公司目前提供外卖</code>. So <code>为多达80款不同菜系</code> is an introductory phrase. &quot;为&quot; here means &quot;facing to&quot;<a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%BA/779148" rel="nofollow noreferrer">baidu</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/YA2u8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/YA2u8.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-20T15:04:45.873Z
2022-06-20T15:04:45.873Z
Rong Luo
<blockquote>
  <p>该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This sentence is grammatical, but illogical. <em>为</em> 菜系 <em>提供</em> 外卖, you can not provide 外卖 to 菜系， but you can only provide 外卖 to 人. </p>

<p>The sentence could be paraphrased as: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>该公司目前有多达80款不同菜系（可）提供外卖</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-04T11:11:58.820Z
The sentence is from an article on 人民网, FYI. So how does 为 function here? Does it mean "for", right?
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-04T11:25:32.667Z
@Blaszard, the usage 为 here is more like 'to', so "provide 外卖 to 人". 'provide 外卖 to 菜系' is illogical.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-04T11:29:32.153Z
I see. Thanks. I understand it sounds illogical, but is this kind of expression used frequently or more looks like an exception/typo?
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-04T11:40:50.937Z
I think mainly for their negligence, careless and without any proofreading.  The sentence has no hurt for understanding anyway.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-03T12:34:19.060Z
2017-11-03T12:34:19.060Z
dan
<p>Your translation is mostly right, although the original sentence would be the closest to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The spokesman said that this company now provides delivery services for as many as 80 different food types, [...]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and 为 in this context means &quot;for&quot;. What makes it not that obvious at first glance is because this sentence in Chinese is not structured the same way an English speaker would naturally construct it. It literally looks a bit like this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[The spokesman said], [this company] [now] [for as many as 80 different food types] [provides delivery services], [...]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It's now much easier to see that 为 is the preposition that actually introduces the coordinate clause of the sentence, indicating the target for which the company provides service.</p>
<p>In fact, if you look the word up in the dictionary (or just Google it), you can find &quot;for&quot; as one of the main definitions for this word. Hope that helps.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-10T15:05:26.680Z
2022-08-10T15:05:26.680Z
sfeng
<p>发言人表示，该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖（服务），“这一点足以说明我们英国人是全世界菜肴的吃货。</p>

<p>Without context it is always a bit dodgy interpreting. That said, it is extremely unlikely that any one kitchen would prepare and provide more than 80 different cuisines. Therefore, the company in question is a delivery service like 饿了吗. They provide their service for the dishes, so I think '为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖（服务）' is not illogical.</p>

<p>However, to describe the British as gourmets is not just illogical, it is counter-factual! ("I'm hungry, help me open this can of baked beans!")</p>

<p>为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖（服务） we provide takeaway service for more than 80 different cuisines</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-04T09:53:06.020Z
"we provide takeaway service for more than 80 different cuisines", I don't quite understand the usage of 'for' in this sentence. Can you help to explain a bit?  为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖 is logically wrong in Chinese.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-04T22:48:55.313Z
In N.E. London， for example, there is a road called Osbourne Grove. People from more than 100 different countries live in this road. There are many different styles of food, i.e. 'cuisines'. If you buy 外买， someone has to deliver it. That is what they are talking about. ‘为。。。。提供’ ‘provide for'. 这句话并不是不符逻辑。
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-03T23:47:55.040Z
2017-11-03T23:47:55.040Z
Pedroski
<p>You almost get it.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>为...提供 means "provide ... with" or "supply ...with"</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Hence, the correct pronunciation here is wei4, not wei2.</p>

<p>Depending on the verb, 为, as a preposition, can mean "for, to, with". Prepositions in English and Chinese are quite different I think.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-03T10:38:50.507Z
Also, I think it would be more natural to say 该公司提供多达80款不同菜系的外卖 or 该公司为伦敦市民(indirect object)提供多达80款不同菜系的外卖。
Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-03T10:34:04.213Z
2017-11-03T10:34:04.213Z
Huang
<p>In the following sentence:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>发言人表示，该公司目前<strong>为</strong>多达80款不同菜系提供外卖，“这一点足以说明我们英国人是全世界菜肴的吃货。”</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I understand the meaning, which is something like the follows:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The spokesman said that the company now provides 80 different types of delivery foods. This is more than an enough explanation of why British people are the best gourmet in the world.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>However, what does the 为 mean in this sentence? I feel that the subject is 该公司 and the verb is 提供外卖, so 为 would be a preposition...</p>

<p>Does it mean "with" or something others?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-03T12:03:07.733Z
"as many as 80", bkrs：
多达 
no less than；up to; as much as
死亡人数多达五千。 The number of dead is as many as five thousand.“刘”字在古代有多达11种的不同字义和解释。估计有多达两千多万美国人的个人资料被盗。
user6065
<meaning-in-context><word>
What does 为 mean in 该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖...?
# What does 为 mean in 该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖...?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-03)

In the following sentence:

> 发言人表示，该公司目前**为**多达80款不同菜系提供外卖，“这一点足以说明我们英国人是全世界菜肴的吃货。”

I understand the meaning, which is something like the follows:

> The spokesman said that the company now provides 80 different types of delivery foods. This is more than an enough explanation of why British people are the best gourmet in the world.

However, what does the 为 mean in this sentence? I feel that the subject is 该公司 and the verb is 提供外卖, so 为 would be a preposition...

Does it mean "with" or something others?

**Tags:** meaning-in-context, word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "as many as 80", bkrs： 多达  no less than；up to; as much as 死亡人数多达五千。 The number of dead is as many as five thousand.“刘”字在古代有多达11种的不同字义和解释。估计有多达两千多万美国人的个人资料被盗。  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-11-03. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

You almost get it.

> 为...提供 means "provide ... with" or "supply ...with"

Hence, the correct pronunciation here is wei4, not wei2.

Depending on the verb, 为, as a preposition, can mean "for, to, with". Prepositions in English and Chinese are quite different I think.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Also, I think it would be more natural to say 该公司提供多达80款不同菜系的外卖 or 该公司为伦敦市民(indirect object)提供多达80款不同菜系的外卖。  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-06-20. Score: 3

> 该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖

Here we can extract the stem of the sentence: `该公司目前提供外卖`. So `为多达80款不同菜系` is an introductory phrase. "为" here means "facing to"[baidu](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%BA/779148).

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/YA2u8.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/YA2u8.png)


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-11-03. Score: 2

> 该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖

This sentence is grammatical, but illogical. *为* 菜系 *提供* 外卖, you can not provide 外卖 to 菜系， but you can only provide 外卖 to 人.

The sentence could be paraphrased as:

> 该公司目前有多达80款不同菜系（可）提供外卖

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: The sentence is from an article on 人民网, FYI. So how does 为 function here? Does it mean "for", right?  
> **username_3**: @username_0, the usage 为 here is more like 'to', so "provide 外卖 to 人". 'provide 外卖 to 菜系' is illogical.  
> **username_0**: I see. Thanks. I understand it sounds illogical, but is this kind of expression used frequently or more looks like an exception/typo?  
> **username_3**: I think mainly for their negligence, careless and without any proofreading.  The sentence has no hurt for understanding anyway.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-08-10. Score: 1

Your translation is mostly right, although the original sentence would be the closest to:

> The spokesman said that this company now provides delivery services for as many as 80 different food types, [...]

and 为 in this context means "for". What makes it not that obvious at first glance is because this sentence in Chinese is not structured the same way an English speaker would naturally construct it. It literally looks a bit like this:

> [The spokesman said], [this company] [now] [for as many as 80 different food types] [provides delivery services], [...]

It's now much easier to see that 为 is the preposition that actually introduces the coordinate clause of the sentence, indicating the target for which the company provides service.

In fact, if you look the word up in the dictionary (or just Google it), you can find "for" as one of the main definitions for this word. Hope that helps.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2017-11-03. Score: 0

发言人表示，该公司目前为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖（服务），“这一点足以说明我们英国人是全世界菜肴的吃货。

Without context it is always a bit dodgy interpreting. That said, it is extremely unlikely that any one kitchen would prepare and provide more than 80 different cuisines. Therefore, the company in question is a delivery service like 饿了吗. They provide their service for the dishes, so I think '为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖（服务）' is not illogical.

However, to describe the British as gourmets is not just illogical, it is counter-factual! ("I'm hungry, help me open this can of baked beans!")

为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖（服务） we provide takeaway service for more than 80 different cuisines

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: "we provide takeaway service for more than 80 different cuisines", I don't quite understand the usage of 'for' in this sentence. Can you help to explain a bit?  为多达80款不同菜系提供外卖 is logically wrong in Chinese.  
> **username_5**: In N.E. London， for example, there is a road called Osbourne Grove. People from more than 100 different countries live in this road. There are many different styles of food, i.e. 'cuisines'. If you buy 外买， someone has to deliver it. That is what they are talking about. ‘为。。。。提供’ ‘provide for'. 这句话并不是不符逻辑。  

---

