为期
wéiqí · HSK 5
by/lasting (a definite time)
📅⏳ 为 = for/serving as + 期 = period/term → for a period of
Compound: 为 (wéi, 'to be/serve as') + 期 (qī, 'period, term, deadline'). Together: 'serving as a period of' → lasting a set time. Often paired with a duration, as in 为期三天 (lasting three days).
为 — simplified form of 為; from 爪 (claw/hand) over 象 (elephant)
The traditional form 為 originally depicted a hand leading an elephant, suggesting the act of doing or making work. Over time it generalized to mean 'to do, to act, for the sake of.' The simplified 为 preserves this 'do/for' meaning, with pronunciation shifting between wéi ('to be, to do') and wèi ('for, because of').
期 — 其 (phonetic) + 月 (moon/time)
期 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 月 (moon) signals meaning, since lunar cycles marked fixed time periods in ancient China. The left side 其 supplies the sound. Together it points to a set time, period, or appointed date — meanings still carried today in words like 期间 and 日期.