为之【wèizhī】

为之wèi zhī is 为 "for, because of" + 之 "it", the written pronoun. 之 always refers back to something already named – an event, a piece of news, a goal – and the verb after 为之 is the reaction to it or the effort spent on it. It belongs to writing, news and speeches.

Effort for a goal

With verbs like 努力, 奋斗 or 付出, 之 is the goal being worked toward.

为之一 + verb

为之一振, 为之一惊, 为之一亮 and 为之一变 describe a sudden reaction: spirits lift, people start, eyes light up, a scene changes at once.

Read wéi: "do it"

In a few set phrases 为 is the verb "do", read 为wéi. The commonest is 好自为wéi之, a warning: "behave yourself, you're on your own now".

Naming the cause twice

之 is already the object of 为. Naming the cause again after the verb says it twice: either use 为 + the noun, or name the cause earlier and keep 之.

• × 大家都为之高兴这个消息 → 大家都为这个消息高兴