Meaning of 行为
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- action; conduct; behavior; activity
How to use 行为
行为 is a noun for behavior, often used when judging it as good or bad, or in formal and legal contexts. It commonly appears in phrases like 不良行为 (bùliáng xíngwéi, bad behavior) and 违法行为 (wéifǎ xíngwéi, illegal acts). Example: 他的行为很奇怪。(Tā de xíngwéi hěn qíguài.) His behavior is very strange.
行 (xíng) means to walk or act, and 为 (wéi) means to do. Put "acting" and "doing" together and you get 行为, the things a person actually does: behavior and conduct.
Common mistake: In 行为, 为 is read with the second tone, wéi, as in 认为 (rènwéi) and 成为 (chéngwéi). Do not use the fourth tone wèi from 为什么 (wèi shénme). Also, 行 here is xíng, not háng as in 银行 (yínháng).
行为 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
行 xíng · to walk · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
为 wèi · because of · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 行为.
| 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 |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 成为 | chéngwéi | to become; to turn into |
| 进行 | jìnxíng | (of a process etc) to proceed; to be in progress; to be underway; (of people) to carry out |
| 行动 | xíngdòng | operation; action |
| 银行 | yínháng | bank |
| 旅行 | lǚxíng | to travel; journey; trip |
| 举行 | jǔxíng | to hold (a meeting, ceremony etc) |
| 流行 | liúxíng | (of a contagious disease etc) to spread; to propagate; (of a style of clothing, song etc) |
Questions about 行为
What does 行为 mean?
行为 (xíngwéi) means "action; conduct; behavior; activity" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 行为?
行为 is made of 2 characters: 行 (6 strokes), 为 (4 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 行为 an HSK word?
Yes. 行为 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 行为 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 行为 is written 行為.
What is the difference between 行为 and 行动?
行为 (xíngwéi) is about behavior or conduct, often judged morally or socially. 行动 (xíngdòng) means taking action or a specific operation, as in 马上行动 (mǎshàng xíngdòng, take action right away).
Can 行为 be used as a verb?
No, 行为 is a noun. To say someone behaves well, use a different structure such as 他表现很好 (tā biǎoxiàn hěn hǎo) or describe the behavior: 他的行为很好.