Passive Voice with 被 (Bèi): The 'Victim' Sentence
{被|bèi} to focus on what happened to the object, especially for unfortunate events or when the doer is unknown.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use {被|bèi} to describe an action happening to a subject, often implying a negative or undesirable outcome.
- The structure is: Receiver + {被|bèi} + Agent + Verb + Other Elements.
- If the agent is unknown or unimportant, you can omit it: Receiver + {被|bèi} + Verb.
- Unlike English, {被|bèi} is typically reserved for negative or passive experiences.
Overview
The 被 (bèi) construction is the primary grammatical structure for expressing the passive voice in Mandarin Chinese. At the B2 level, you're moving beyond simple statements to articulate complex events, and mastering 被 is essential for this. Its core function is to shift the sentence's focus from the agent (the one performing an action) to the patient (the one receiving or affected by the action).
This makes the patient the topic of the sentence, a fundamental concept in Chinese discourse.
Historically, the character 被 meant 'to cover' or, by extension, 'to suffer.' This origin story is why the 被 construction is strongly associated with unfortunate, negative, or undesirable events. For early-stage learners, this is a useful heuristic. However, in modern Mandarin, its usage has expanded far beyond negative contexts.
You will frequently encounter 被 in neutral and even positive situations, especially in formal written language like news reports, academic papers, and official announcements. Understanding this evolution is key to using 被 with native-like nuance.
Using 被 is a conscious choice. When a speaker says 我的钱包被偷了 (wǒ de qiánbāo bèi tōu le) – 'My wallet was stolen,' they are deliberately placing the focus on the wallet and the unfortunate thing that happened to it. The thief, whether known or unknown, is secondary to the event's impact on the patient.
This ability to manipulate focus and de-emphasize the agent is a powerful tool for sophisticated communication.
How This Grammar Works
被 structure fundamentally reorders an active sentence. A standard active sentence follows an Agent + Verb + Patient order. The passive transformation inverts this, creating a Patient + 被 + (Agent) + Verb + Complement sequence.被 acts as a prepositional coverb, introducing the agent of the action.被 simply functions as a passive marker. For example, in 窗户被打破了 (chuānghu bèi dǎ pò le) – 'The window was broken,' the window is fronted as the topic, and 被 signals that an action happened to it.被 construction is the near-mandatory presence of a complement following the verb. A bare verb after 被 is usually ungrammatical because it feels incomplete. This is because passive sentences almost always describe a completed action and its result or consequence.*那栋楼被烧 (nà dòng lóu bèi shāo) is incorrect because it hangs—the building was being burned, but to what end? The correct form requires a result, like 那栋楼被烧毁了 (nà dòng lóu bèi shāohuǐ le) – 'That building was burned down,' where 毁 (huǐ, 'destroy') provides the result.被 sentence include:- Aspect Markers: The most common are
了(le) for completion and过(guò) for past experience.蛋糕被吃完了(dàngāo bèi chī wán le) – 'The cake was eaten up.' - Resultative Complements: These specify the outcome of the verb, such as
完(wán, finished),掉(diào, away/gone),破(pò, broken),错(cuò, wrong),干净(gānjìng, clean).信写错了(xìn xiě cuò le) becomes信被写错了(xìn bèi xiě cuò le) – 'The letter was written incorrectly.' - Directional Complements: These indicate movement resulting from the action, such as
走(zǒu, away),下去(xiàqù, down),出来(chūlái, out).小偷把我的护照偷走了(xiǎotōu bǎ wǒ de hùzhào tōu zǒu le) becomes我的护照被小偷偷走了(wǒ de hùzhào bèi xiǎotōu tōu zǒu le) – 'My passport was stolen by a thief.'
Formation Pattern
被 structure is less flexible than its English counterpart. Adhering to the correct word order is crucial. Below are the core patterns.
那本书 | nà běn shū | That book |
被 (bèi) | The passive marker, introducing the agent. | 被 | bèi | by |
我弟弟 | wǒ dìdi | my little brother |
撕 | sī | tore |
坏了 | huài le | (to the point of being) broken |
被 + Agent + Verb + Complement
那本书被我弟弟撕坏了。 (Nà běn shū bèi wǒ dìdi sī huài le.) – 'That book was torn up by my little brother.'
这个项目已经被王经理批准了。 (Zhège xiàngmù yǐjīng bèi Wáng jīnglǐ pīzhǔn le.) – 'This project has already been approved by Manager Wang.'
所有的啤酒 | suǒyǒu de píjiǔ | All the beer |
被 (bèi) | The passive marker. | 被 | bèi | was |
喝 | hē | drunk |
光了 | guāng le | (to the point of being) gone/empty |
被 + Verb + Complement
所有的啤酒都被喝光了。 (Suǒyǒu de píjiǔ dōu bèi hē guāng le.) – 'All the beer was drunk.'
据说，那座老房子明年春天会被拆掉。 (Jùshuō, nà zuò lǎo fángzi míngnián chūntiān huì bèi chāi diào.) – 'It's said that old house will be torn down next spring.'
没(有) (méi(yǒu)) and 不 (bù), and modal verbs like 能 (néng), 可以 (kěyǐ), and 应该 (yīnggāi), always come before 被.
被 + (Agent) + Verb + Complement
我的申请还没被批准。 (Wǒ de shēnqǐng hái méi bèi pīzhǔn.) – 'My application hasn't been approved yet.'
这些敏感数据不可以被随便复印。 (Zhèxiē mǐngǎn shùjù bù kěyǐ bèi suíbiàn fùyìn.) – 'This sensitive data cannot be casually copied.'
他好像不应该被这样对待。 (Tā hǎoxiàng bù yīnggāi bèi zhèyàng duìdài.) – 'It seems he shouldn't be treated this way.'
When To Use It
被 just for bad things and wield it strategically based on communicative intent.- 1To Report Unfortunate or Undesirable Events: This is the classic, most frequent usage, stemming from
被's historical meaning. It often carries a nuance that the patient was negatively impacted or victimized.
我的车被刮了。(Wǒ de chē bèi guā le.) – 'My car got scratched.'他被公司开除了。(Tā bèi gōngsī kāichú le.) – 'He was fired by the company.'
- 1When the Agent is Unknown, Irrelevant, or Obvious: This is an extremely practical function. If you don't know who did it, or it doesn't matter,
被allows you to form a complete thought without an agent.
我的外卖被拿走了，但我不知道是谁。(Wǒ de wàimài bèi ná zǒu le, dàn wǒ bù zhīdào shì shéi.) – 'My takeout was taken, but I don't know by whom.'这个问题已经被解决了。(Zhège wèntí yǐjīng bèi jiějué le.) – 'This problem has already been solved.' (By whom? Doesn't matter.)
- 1To Emphasize the Patient or Result: Use
被when the person or thing affected by the action is the main topic. This is common in objective, formal contexts like news reports, scientific writing, and official notices.
一项新的世界纪录被创造了。(Yī xiàng xīn de shìjiè jìlù bèi chuàngzào le.) – 'A new world record was created.' (The focus is the record, not the athlete.)这种新材料已被广泛应用于航空领域。(Zhè zhǒng xīn cáiliào yǐ bèi guǎngfàn yìngyòng yú hángkōng lǐngyù.) – 'This new material has already been widely applied in the aerospace field.'
- 1For a Formal, Neutral, or Positive Tone: Contrary to the 'unfortunate' rule,
被is standard for neutral and positive passive events in formal settings. Using it correctly in these contexts signals a higher level of proficiency.
他被选为年度最佳员工。(Tā bèi xuǎn wéi niándù zuìjiā yuángōng.) – 'He was selected as employee of the year.' (Positive)您的请求已被处理。(Nín de qǐngqiú yǐ bèi chǔlǐ.) – 'Your request has been processed.' (Neutral)
Common Mistakes
被. Understanding the 'why' behind them will help you avoid them.- 1Mistake: Omitting the Complement. This is the number one error. A sentence like
*我的自行车被偷is grammatically incomplete.
- Why it's wrong: The
被structure describes the result of an action on a patient. Without a complement (了,走,掉), there is no result. It leaves the listener waiting for the outcome. - Correction:
我的自行车被偷了 / 被偷走了。(Wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi tōu le / bèi tōu zǒu le.)
- 1Mistake: Overusing
被Where Other Structures Are More Natural. Not every English passive sentence translates to a被sentence.
- Alternative 1: Topic-Comment. For many simple results, a topic-comment structure is more common:
饭做好了(fàn zuò hǎo le) is more natural than饭被做好了to mean 'The food is ready.' The latter sounds overly formal or implies something unusual happened during the cooking. - Alternative 2:
受到(shòudào). Use受到for receiving abstract actions like 'criticism', 'praise', 'influence', or 'welcome'. You receive an influence; you aren't 'influenced-at' by someone. - Incorrect:
*他的演讲被大家欢迎。 - Correct:
他的演讲受到大家欢迎。(Tā de yǎnjiǎng shòudào dàjiā huānyíng.) – 'His speech was welcomed by everyone.'
- 1Mistake: Misplacing Negatives and Modals. Placing a negative or modal verb after
被is a common word order error.
- Why it's wrong: The modal/negative word modifies the entire passive event ('[not being able to be] done'), not just the agent or the verb. Therefore, it must precede the entire
被phrase. - Incorrect:
*报告被不可以公开。 - Correct:
报告不可以被公开。(Bàogào bù kěyǐ bèi gōngkāi.) – 'The report cannot be made public.'
- 1Mistake: Confusing
被with让(ràng) and叫(jiào). These can also form passive sentences, but they are not interchangeable with被.
- Difference:
让and叫are more colloquial and almost exclusively used for negative events. They often carry a stronger sense of blame.被is more versatile, ranging from informal to highly formal, and can be negative, neutral, or positive. - Example:
我的衣服叫雨淋湿了。(Wǒ de yīfu jiào yǔ lín shī le.) – 'My clothes got soaked by the rain.' This sounds more like a personal complaint. Using被would be slightly more objective.
Real Conversations
Textbook examples are clean, but real-world usage is where you see the grammar come alive.
Scenario 1
A: 烦死了！我新买的耳机好像被同事拿错了。
(fán sǐ le! wǒ xīn mǎi de ěrjī hǎoxiàng bèi tóngshì ná cuò le.)
'So annoying! I think my new headphones were taken by a colleague by mistake.'
B: 不会吧，你确定吗？你的东西怎么老是被人拿走……
(bú huì ba, nǐ quèdìng ma? nǐ de dōngxi zěnme lǎoshì bèi rén ná zǒu…)
'No way, are you sure? How come your stuff is always being taken by someone...'
Analysis
被. Notice the use of 人 (rén) as a generic, unimportant agent in B's message.Scenario 2
Subject
您的报销申请状态更新 (Your Reimbursement Application Status Update)尊敬的员工，您提交的编号为 #89231 的报销申请已被批准，款项将在三个工作日内打入您的账户。
(Zūnjìng de yuángōng, nín tíjiāo de biānhào wèi #89231 de bàoxiāo shēnqǐng yǐ bèi pīzhǔn, kuǎnxiàng jiāng zài sān ge gōngzuòrì nèi dǎrù nín de zhànghù.)
'Dear employee, your submitted reimbursement application #89231 has been approved. The funds will be transferred to your account within three business days.'
Analysis
被 sentence. It's objective and professional. Using an active voice ('We have approved...') would be less formal.Scenario 3
今天太惊喜了！在公司年会上，我被老板点名表扬了，还被评为“进步最快新人”！谢谢大家的肯定！#努力工作
(Jīntiān tài jīngxǐ le! Zài gōngsī niánhuì shàng, wǒ bèi lǎobǎn diǎnmíng biǎoyáng le, hái bèi píng wéi “jìnbù zuì kuài xīnrén”! Xièxie dàjiā de kěndìng! #nǔlìgōngzuò)
'Such a surprise today! At the company's annual party, I was singled out for praise by the boss, and was even named "Fastest-Improving Newcomer"! Thanks for everyone's recognition! #workhard'
Analysis
被, one with an agent (老板) and one without. It perfectly illustrates how 被 has shed its exclusively negative connotation in modern usage.Quick FAQ
- Q: Can I use
被without an agent and a complement, like我被打?
Rarely. It implies the action is ongoing or habitual, which is an unusual context for a passive sentence. For example, 他天天在家被骂 (tā tiāntiān zàijiā bèi mà) – 'He gets yelled at at home every day.' For a single event, it is almost always incorrect. You must specify the result: 我被打了一顿 (wǒ bèi dǎ le yí dùn) – 'I was beaten up.'
- Q: Why do some sentences like
问题解决了(wèntí jiějué le) not need被to be passive?
This touches on a deep feature of Chinese grammar. Many Chinese verbs can be either transitive (acting on an object) or intransitive/ergative (describing a state of being). In 问题解决了, 解决 functions as a stative verb describing the problem's new state: 'resolved'. The focus is purely on the result. 问题被解决了 is also correct but subtly shifts focus to the action performed upon the problem, implying an external agent was involved. The first is often more concise and common.
- Q: Is it okay to use
被in a job interview or formal presentation?
Absolutely. In fact, it's often preferred. Using 被 for neutral or positive events (e.g., 我曾被派去负责一个重要项目 – 'I was once sent to be in charge of an important project') shows a high level of formality and objectivity. It demonstrates you can use grammatical structures for their precise function, not just their most basic meaning.
- Q: How does
被interact with the把(bǎ) construction?
They are essentially opposites in terms of focus. The 把 construction highlights what the agent does to the patient (我把钱包弄丢了 – 'I lost the wallet'). The 被 construction highlights what happens to the patient (钱包被我弄丢了 – 'The wallet was lost by me'). They cannot be used in the same simple clause. Choosing between them depends entirely on whether you want to make the agent or the patient the topic of your sentence.
Passive Voice Structure
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Receiver + 被 + Agent + Verb + 了
|
手机被他拿走了
|
|
Negative
|
Receiver + 没(有) + 被 + Agent + Verb
|
手机没被他拿走
|
|
Question
|
Receiver + 被 + Agent + Verb + 了吗
|
手机被他拿走了吗
|
|
Agentless
|
Receiver + 被 + Verb + 了
|
手机被偷了
|
|
Formal
|
Receiver + 被 + Agent + 所 + Verb
|
他被大家所爱戴
|
|
Resultative
|
Receiver + 被 + Agent + Verb + 坏/光/走
|
电脑被他弄坏了
|
Meanings
The {被|bèi} construction is used to indicate that the subject of the sentence is the receiver of an action rather than the performer.
Adversative Passive
Used when something negative happens to the subject.
“他{被|bèi}老师批评了。”
“我的钱包{被|bèi}人拿走了。”
Agentless Passive
Used when the agent is irrelevant or unknown.
“窗户{被|bèi}打破了。”
“作业{被|bèi}写完了。”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Standard
|
Subj + 被 + Agent + Verb
|
他被老师批评了
|
|
Negative
|
Subj + 没被 + Agent + Verb
|
他没被老师批评
|
|
Question
|
Subj + 被 + Agent + Verb + 吗
|
他被老师批评了吗
|
|
Agentless
|
Subj + 被 + Verb
|
窗户被打破了
|
|
Formal
|
Subj + 被 + Agent + 所 + Verb
|
他被大家所尊敬
|
|
Resultative
|
Subj + 被 + Agent + Verb + Result
|
书被他弄丢了
|
Formality Spectrum
窗户被打破了。 (Accident)
窗户被打破了。 (Accident)
窗户叫人给打破了。 (Accident)
窗户被搞碎了。 (Accident)
The Passive Flow
Function
- 受害者 Victim
- 负面影响 Negative impact
Structure
- Receiver Subject
- Agent Doer
Examples by Level
书{被|bèi}拿走了。
The book was taken away.
苹果{被|bèi}吃了。
The apple was eaten.
门{被|bèi}关了。
The door was closed.
衣服{被|bèi}洗了。
The clothes were washed.
我的手机{被|bèi}他偷了。
My phone was stolen by him.
作业{被|bèi}老师检查了吗？
Was the homework checked by the teacher?
窗户没{被|bèi}打破。
The window wasn't broken.
钱{被|bèi}人拿走了。
The money was taken by someone.
这栋房子{被|bèi}大火烧毁了。
This house was destroyed by the big fire.
计划{被|bèi}临时取消了。
The plan was cancelled last minute.
他{被|bèi}大家嘲笑了。
He was laughed at by everyone.
这些文件{被|bèi}秘书整理好了。
These documents were organized by the secretary.
由于大雨，比赛{被|bèi}迫推迟了。
Due to heavy rain, the match was forced to be postponed.
他的建议{被|bèi}委员会采纳了。
His suggestion was adopted by the committee.
这件艺术品{被|bèi}专家鉴定为真迹。
This artwork was identified by experts as authentic.
他{被|bèi}指控犯有欺诈罪。
He was accused of fraud.
该政策{被|bèi}广泛认为是有效的。
The policy is widely considered to be effective.
在调查中，许多证据{被|bèi}忽略了。
In the investigation, much evidence was ignored.
这种观点{被|bèi}许多学者所批评。
This viewpoint is criticized by many scholars.
他{被|bèi}委以重任。
He was entrusted with an important task.
此举{被|bèi}视为对现状的挑战。
This move is seen as a challenge to the status quo.
历史真相{被|bèi}时间所掩盖。
The historical truth was covered up by time.
该协议{被|bèi}各方一致通过。
The agreement was unanimously passed by all parties.
他{被|bèi}剥夺了发言权。
He was deprived of the right to speak.
Easily Confused
All three can mark the passive, but they have different formality levels.
Both are passive, but {受到|shòudào} is for abstract nouns.
Both indicate the agent, but {由|yóu} is for responsibility.
Common Mistakes
我被给了礼物
他送了我礼物
他被打
他被打了一顿
被我书拿了
书被我拿了
书被拿
书被拿走了
他被我看见
他被我看见了
苹果被吃
苹果被吃了
被他打破窗户
窗户被他打破了
这被认为是好
这被认为是好的
他被大家喜欢
他受到大家的喜欢
被他没看见
没被他看见
此政策被政府执行
此政策由政府执行
他被大家所喜欢
他受到大家的喜爱
被他所做
由他所做
Sentence Patterns
___ 被 ___ 弄坏了。
___ 被 ___ 批评了。
___ 被 ___ 认为是 ___。
___ 被 ___ 所 ___。
Real World Usage
嫌疑人已被逮捕。
我被放鸽子了。
我曾被委以重任。
我的行李被弄丢了。
我的外卖被洒了。
我被拉黑了。
Avoid positive passive
Don't forget the complement
Use 'you' for agents
Internet slang
Smart Tips
Use {被|bèi} to highlight the victim.
Omit the agent after {被|bèi}.
Use {由|yóu} to introduce the agent.
Use {被|bèi} + Agent + 所 + Verb.
Pronunciation
Tone of Bèi
It is a falling tone (fourth tone).
Emphasis
我的手机 {被} 他拿走了
Emphasizing the passive nature.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Bèi' as a 'Blanket' that covers the receiver, hiding their agency.
Visual Association
Imagine a person standing in the rain. The rain (Agent) hits the person (Receiver). The person is 'covered' by the rain.
Rhyme
When the action hits you, use 'Bèi' to tell the truth.
Story
Xiao Wang lost his keys. He says: 'My keys were taken by a thief.' He uses {被|bèi} because he is the victim. If he found them, he wouldn't use {被|bèi} because it's a happy ending.
Word Web
Challenge
Write 3 sentences about things that went wrong today using the {被|bèi} structure.
Cultural Notes
Used frequently in news to report on public safety or social issues.
Similar usage, but sometimes '叫' is preferred in casual speech.
Influenced by Cantonese, sometimes '俾' (bei2) is used in spoken Cantonese.
Originally a verb meaning 'to cover' or 'to suffer'.
Conversation Starters
你的手机丢过吗？
你觉得这个政策怎么样？
如果你的作业被弄坏了，你会怎么办？
你有没有被误解过？
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
我的书 ___ 他拿走了。
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
他被老师批评。
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
The window was broken by him.
Answer starts with: 窗户被...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Use: 被, 老师, 批评, 了
Which is most formal?
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercises我的书 ___ 他拿走了。
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
他被老师批评。
被 / 拿走 / 手机 / 了 / 他
The window was broken by him.
Match: 钱被偷了
Use: 被, 老师, 批评, 了
Which is most formal?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercises{被|bèi} / {鱼|yú} / {猫|māo} / {吃了|chī le}
My phone was found.
{蛋糕___被吃完|dàngāo ___ bèi chī wán} (The cake has not been finished yet).
{书被没有拿走|shū bèi méiyǒu ná zǒu}
Match Active to Passive
Which scenario best fits a '被' sentence?
{我不小心___骗了|wǒ bùxiǎoxīn ___ piàn le} (I was accidentally tricked).
{这杯水|zhè bēi shuǐ} / {喝了|hē le} / {被|bèi} / {谁|shéi}
He was fired (from a job).
{照片被他看|zhàopiàn bèi tā kàn}
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
No, it sounds unnatural. Use active voice instead.
{被|bèi} is formal, {叫|jiào} is colloquial.
No, you can omit it if it's unknown.
It acts as a resultative complement.
Yes, but some dialects have their own markers.
Rarely, it's mostly for past events.
It works the same way.
Add {吗|ma} at the end.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Passive voice (to be + past participle)
Chinese passive is restricted to negative contexts.
Voz pasiva (ser + participio)
Chinese passive is not neutral.
Passiv (werden + Partizip II)
Chinese passive is not neutral.
受身形 (rareru)
Japanese passive is more versatile.
Passive voice (internal vowel change)
Chinese uses a particle.
被
None.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Learn These First
The Passive 'bèi' (被): How Things Happen to You
Overview The `被` (bèi) construction is the cornerstone of the passive voice in Mandarin Chinese. Unlike English, which...
How Well Do You Do It? The Degree Complement (得)
Overview In Chinese grammar, expressing **how well** or **to what extent** an action is performed requires a special gra...
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Overview In Chinese, as in any language, how you state a fact is as important as the fact itself. Advanced communicatio...
The 'Snake in the Cup' Idiom: Understanding `杯弓蛇影`
Overview At the heart of many Chinese idioms, or `{成语|chéngyǔ}`, lies a story that encapsulates a specific human expe...
Formal Degree Modifiers: 极其, 至为, 颇为
Overview In Chinese, expressing degrees of intensity goes far beyond the common adverbs `很` (hěn) and `非常` (fēicháng...
Formal Suffixes: -ity, -ize, & Degree (性, 化, 度)
Overview In your journey to Chinese fluency, you move from describing the world to analyzing it. You stop just saying a...
Advanced Formal Passives: 为...所 and 见
Overview At the C1 level, mastering register is as crucial as mastering grammar. While `被 (bèi)` is the all-purpose pa...
