以……换取……
Reach for this when you want to describe a deliberate trade — giving up A to get B. It's the formal language of bargains, deals, and negotiations: hostage releases for prisoners, concessions for safety, time for money. The first slot is what you give; the second is what you get. Common in news, business writing, and diplomatic language — almost never in casual chat.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 以 [WHAT IS GIVEN UP] 换取 [WHAT IS GAINED]
yǐ... huànqǔ...
How to Think About It
以……换取…… frames the transaction as intentional and weighted. 以 marks the cost (what you part with); 换取 makes the gain feel earned through that cost, not received freely. Swap it in and the sentence reads like a clause from a treaty: every party knows the price.
Examples
公司以裁员换取了短期的利润增长。
Gōngsī yǐ cáiyuán huànqǔ le duǎnqī de lìrùn zēngzhǎng.
The company traded layoffs for short-term profit growth.
他以放弃休假换取了一次升职的机会。
Tā yǐ fàngqì xiūjià huànqǔ le yí cì shēngzhí de jīhuì.
He gave up his vacation in exchange for a promotion opportunity.
政府希望以减税换取企业更多的投资。
Zhèngfǔ xīwàng yǐ jiǎnshuì huànqǔ qǐyè gèng duō de tóuzī.
The government hopes to trade tax cuts for more corporate investment.
Common Mistake
Learners reach for this in everyday shopping or swapping contexts, where it sounds heavy and bureaucratic. For 'I traded my book for hers,' use 换 alone. 以……换取…… implies a calculated, often strategic exchange.
我以我的书换取她的书。
我用我的书换了她的书。
Don't Confuse With
用……换……
Plain, conversational 'trade X for Y.' Use it for everyday swaps. 以……换取…… is the formal-register version for deals and concessions.
为了……
为了 marks purpose ('in order to') without naming a cost. 以……换取…… spells out both the cost and the gain as an explicit trade.
以……为代价
以……为代价 highlights the price as a sacrifice ('at the cost of…'). 以……换取…… is more neutral — both sides are weighed as a fair exchange.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 他 ____ 多年的努力换取了今天的成功。
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以
Fill in the blank: 公司以降低质量 ____ 了更高的利润。
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换取
Arrange into a sentence: 他 / 以 / 自由 / 换取 / 了 / 安全
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他以自由换取了安全。
Translate to Chinese: They traded their privacy for convenience.
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他们以隐私换取了便利。
Write a sentence using 以……换取…… to describe a trade-off in modern life.
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很多人以健康换取了更高的收入。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: