On the basis of / at the cost of (以…为基础/代价)

Structure 以 + A + 为 + 基础/前提/依据/代价

These are fixed, abstract collocations of the 以…为… frame (HSK 5, 以…为…), where 为 reads wéi (second tone). The second slot is no longer free but a set, learned word: 以…为基础 ("on the basis of"), 以…为前提 ("with… as a precondition"), 以…为依据 ("taking… as the grounds"), 以…为代价 ("at the cost of…"). 以事实为依据 = "on the basis of the facts"; 以牺牲健康为代价 = "at the cost of sacrificing one's health". They are written-register formulas, very common in law, politics and essays.

Examples

法fǎ院yuàn判pàn案àn必bì须xū以yǐ事shì实shí为wéi依yī据jù。
In ruling on a case, the court must take the facts as its basis.
我wǒ们men不bù能néng以yǐ牺xī牲shēng健jiàn康kāng为wéi代dài价jià去qù赚zhuàn钱qián。
We cannot earn money at the cost of sacrificing our health.
这zhè项xiàng合hé作zuò以yǐ互hù信xìn为wéi前qián提tí。
This cooperation has mutual trust as its precondition.
经jīng济jì发fā展zhǎn应yīng以yǐ保bǎo护hù环huán境jìng为wéi基jī础chǔ。
Economic development should be built on the basis of protecting the environment.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.