称为 meaning in English

chēngwéi

to be called; to be known as; to call it "..."

HSK 3Traditional 稱為14 strokes

Meaning of 称为

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

chēngwéi

to be called; to be known as; to call it "..."

How to use 称为

称为 is a slightly formal way to say what something or someone is called, often in the pattern A 被称为 B or 把 A 称为 B. Example: 北京被称为中国的心脏。(Běijīng bèi chēngwéi Zhōngguó de xīnzàng.) Beijing is called the heart of China.

称 (chēng) means to call or name, and 为 (wéi) means as. Put them together and you get "call as," which is to be called or known as.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 称为 (chēngwéi, to be called) with 成为 (chéngwéi, to become). They sound almost the same, but 称 is first tone and 成 is second tone, and the meanings are different.

称为 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

她tā被bèi称chēng为wéi艾ài美měi。

She goes by the name of Amy.

这zhè种zhǒng鸟niǎo被bèi称chēng为wéi布bù谷gǔ鸟niǎo。

This bird is known as a cuckoo.

这zhè个ge城chéng市shì被bèi称chēng为wéi日rì本běn的de丹dān麦mài。

This city is called the Japanese Denmark.

我wǒ们men把bǎ他tā称chēng为wéi“英yīng雄xióng”，但dàn是shì他tā却què背bèi叛pàn了le我wǒ们men。

We called him a "hero", but he betrayed us.

一yì百bǎi年nián称chēng为wéi一yí个gè世shì纪jì。

One hundred years is called a century.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

称 chēng · to weigh · 10 strokes

为 wèi · because of · 4 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 称为.

为什么	wèi shénme	why?; for what reason?
因为	yīnwèi	because; owing to; on account of
认为	rènwéi	to believe; to think; to consider; to feel
以为	yǐwéi	to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless refe
成为	chéngwéi	to become; to turn into
行为	xíngwéi	action; conduct; behavior; activity
名称	míngchēng	name (of a thing); name (of an organization)
为了	wèile	for; for the purpose of; in order to
变为	biànwéi	to change into
作为	zuòwéi	one's conduct; deed
称赞	chēngzàn	to praise; to commend; to compliment
列为	lièwéi	to be classified as

Questions about 称为

What does 称为 mean?

称为 (chēngwéi) means "to be called; to be known as; to call it "..."".

How do you write 称为?

称为 is made of 2 characters: 称 (10 strokes), 为 (4 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.

Is 称为 an HSK word?

Yes. 称为 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 称为 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 称为 is written 稱為.

What is the difference between 称为 and 叫?

叫 (jiào) is the everyday spoken word for being called, as in 我叫小明. 称为 is more formal and is common in writing, news, and textbooks, especially for titles or nicknames of places and things.

Is 为 in 称为 pronounced wéi or wèi?

In 称为 it is second tone, wéi, meaning as. This is different from 为什么 (wèi shénme) and 因为 (yīnwèi), where 为 is fourth tone, wèi.