为…起见
for the sake of; to be on the safe side
Structure
为 安全／保险／慎重／方便 起见 ， 做法
What it means
States the reason for a precaution, “for the sake of; to be on the safe side”, and the precaution follows.
How it is built
为 + short word (安全／保险／慎重／稳妥／方便／公平) + 起见，+ action: 为慎重起见，医院决定再做一次检查 (To be quite sure, the hospital decided to run the test again). 为了…起见 is also heard.
When to use it
Measured and a little formal, at home in notices (为安全起见，请…) and careful explanations. For a longer purpose use 为了 + clause.
Watch out
起见 never stands alone, and a whole clause does not fit inside: ✗为孩子喝上放心奶粉起见 ✓为了让孩子喝上放心奶粉.
Examples
为安全起见，仍有不少父母宁愿多花钱买进口奶粉。
To be on the safe side, many parents would still rather pay more for imported formula.
为公平起见，每个人的发言时间都不能超过五分钟。
To be fair to everyone, nobody may speak for more than five minutes.
为慎重起见，医院决定再给他做一次检查。
To be quite sure, the hospital decided to examine him once more.
Learn this in Lesson 140 · HSK 7–9: 一罐奶粉 (A can of milk powder)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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