以…而… / 因…而…: known for… / because of…
固定格式 / set structures
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
以 + N + 而 + 闻名/著称 | 因 + N + 而 + V
Two written structures where 而 links a cause/means to the verb:
• 以 + N + 而 + 闻名/著称/自豪: "be famous for N": 杭州以西湖而闻名.
• 因 + N + 而 + V: "V because of N": 因病而缺席 (absent due to illness), 因人而异 (vary from person to person).
• Also 为…而…: "V for (a goal)": 为理想而奋斗.
Here 而 doesn't mean "but": it's a link between the adverbial and the verb, typical of classical Chinese.
Examples
景德镇以瓷器而闻名世界。
Jǐngdézhèn yǐ cíqì ér wénmíng shìjiè.Jingdezhen is world-famous for its porcelain.
艺术的价值往往因人而异。
Yìshù de jiàzhí wǎngwǎng yīn rén ér yì.The value of art often varies from person to person.
他为艺术而放弃了稳定的工作。
Tā wèi yìshù ér fàngqì le wěndìng de gōngzuò.He gave up a stable job for the sake of art.
Common mistakes
✗ Translating this 而 as "but": here it links cause/means and verb.
✗ 以西湖闻名而 → ✓ 以西湖而闻名 (而 right before the verb).