人为

• Pinyin: rén wéi
• Hanzi breakdown: 人 = 人 (person); 为 = 爪 + 象 simplified (originally: a hand leading an elephant — to act or do; now: action/for)

Meaning

Man-made; artificial; caused or shaped by human action rather than natural processes. Often implies that a situation or problem resulted from human intervention, error, or intent.

人为因素 (human factor), 人为灾害 (man-made disaster), 人为破坏 (deliberate damage), 人为干预 (human intervention). Carries a slightly negative or cautionary tone when referring to damage or accidents attributable to human negligence.

Examples

1. 调查人员经过详细勘查后认定，这次山体滑坡并非纯粹的自然灾害，而是长期违规开采造成的人为地质灾害。 After a detailed investigation, investigators concluded that the landslide was not purely a natural disaster, but a man-made geological disaster caused by years of illegal mining.
2. 该河流水质的急剧恶化是典型的人为污染事件，相关排污企业已被责令停产整顿并承担生态修复费用。 The river’s rapid decline in water quality was a typical case of man-made pollution; the companies responsible for the discharges were ordered to halt operations for rectification and to cover the costs of ecological restoration.
3. 专家提醒，大多数交通事故背后都存在人为因素，提升驾驶员的安全意识才是降低事故率的根本之策。 Experts warn that most traffic accidents involve human factors; raising drivers’ safety awareness is the fundamental way to reduce accident rates.

Usage Guide

Context: environment, law, safety, policy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这片原始森林的大面积破坏是典型的人为因素所致，当地执法部门已对相关责任人展开立案调查。(The large-scale destruction of this pristine forest is a typical result of human causes; local law enforcement authorities have opened a formal investigation into the parties responsible.)
• 气候科学家指出，当前全球气候异常的主要驱动力是人为温室气体排放，而非单纯的自然气候周期变化。(Climate scientists point out that the primary driver of current global climate anomalies is anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, rather than purely natural climate cycles.)

Don't Say

• 这个公园是人为的 — use 这个公园是人工建造的 or 这是一座人工公园; 人为 implies human-caused events or factors, not simply 'built by humans' in a neutral design context

Origin & History

人 (person/human) + 为 (action/doing) — produced or caused by human action

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal