尤为

• Pinyin: yóu wéi
• Hanzi breakdown: 尤 = 又 + mark of excess (especially, surpassingly); 为 = to be/as (functions as intensifying preposition)

Meaning

Especially; particularly; above all others. A formal adverb that singles out one element as most notable or most relevant among several.

More formal and emphatic than 特别 (especially) or 格外 (particularly). Often used in academic writing, official reports, and formal speeches to highlight a specific point of emphasis: 尤为重要 (especially important), 尤为突出 (particularly prominent), 尤为关键 (especially critical). Placed before adjectives or verbs it modifies.

Examples

1. 这份报告指出，新兴市场里资本开放与金融稳健的协调管理尤为突出，处理不好就易生风险。 The report points out that in emerging markets, coordinating capital openness with financial stability is particularly important; if handled poorly, it can easily create risks.
2. 比较文学研究者尤为关注翻译中不可避免的语义损耗案例，以揭示语言不可通约性。 Comparative literature researchers are especially concerned with cases of unavoidable semantic loss in translation, in order to reveal the incommensurability of language.
3. 儿科专家指出，婴幼儿语言发展期里，亲子面对面互动和共同阅读尤为重要。 Pediatric experts point out that during the critical period of infant language development, face-to-face parent-child interaction and shared reading are especially important.

Usage Guide

Context: academia, policy, journalism, analysis

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 这篇论文梳理了三十个民主国家宪法司法审查的演变，尤为分析了政治极化下的典型案例。(This paper reviews the evolution of constitutional judicial review in thirty democracies and, especially, analyzes representative cases under political polarization.)
• 这项五年队列研究发现，社会支持网络质量对老年认知衰退的保护作用尤为显著。(This five-year cohort study found that the quality of social support networks has an especially significant protective effect against cognitive decline in older adults.)

Don't Say

• 这个蛋糕尤为甜 — 尤为 is a formal written register adverb for academic, policy, or analytical emphasis; for informal expressions of degree, use 特别甜, 非常甜, or 甜得很; 尤为 in casual food description sounds stiffly bookish

Origin & History

尤 (especially/most — 又 again + a stroke indicating excess or distinction; originally meaning exceptional or excessive) + 为 (being/as — to act as, function as)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Educated adults

Social background: Universal