A 用于 B
to be used for; to go on (formal)
Structure
A（钱、资金、技术） 用于 用途 · 把 A 用于 B
What it means
用于 (yòng yú) is the written 'to be used for; to go on': the thing used comes first and the use follows 于.
How it is built
A (money, technology) + (主要／专门)用于 + use, or 把 A 用于 B: 这笔捐款将全部用于山区学校的建设 (All the donation will go on building mountain schools).
When to use it
Budgets, policies and science writing; rules say 不得用于…. With 把 the decider comes in: 把一成收入用于研发. Before a noun add 的: 用于消费的钱. In speech say 用来 or 拿来.
Watch out
Nothing goes between 用于 and the use. ✗ 用于在研发 ✗ 用于为学校 ✓ 用于研发. Like 位于 (1-9), it is one fused verb.
Examples
这笔捐款将全部用于山区学校的建设。
All of this donation will go on building schools in the mountains.
公司每年把收入的一成用于研发新产品。
Every year the company puts a tenth of its income into developing new products.
这种技术最早用于军事，后来才进入普通家庭。
This technology was first used for military purposes and only later reached ordinary homes.
Learn this in Lesson 122 · HSK 7–9: 九二四行情 (Finance news: the September 2024 rally)
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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