HSK 3
被
bèi
(passive)
Structure
Receiver/Subject + 被 + Doer + Verb + Other components (e.g., 了)
How it works
The particle '被' (bèi) is used to form passive sentences in Chinese, indicating that the subject is the receiver of an action. It shifts the focus from the 'doer' to the 'receiver' of the verb. In casual speech, the 'doer' can sometimes be omitted, leaving just '被' before the verb.
Examples
我的蛋糕被弟弟吃了。
Wǒ de dàngāo bèi dìdi chī le.
My cake was eaten by my younger brother.
他的手机被偷了。
Tā de shǒujī bèi tōu le.
His cell phone was stolen.
那本书被同学借走了。
Nà běn shū bèi tóngxué jiè zǒu le.
That book was borrowed by a classmate.
Common mistakes
Placing negative words like '没' or '不' after '被'. They must always be placed before '被' (e.g., 蛋糕没被吃).
Tip
In spoken Chinese, '叫' (jiào) or '让' (ràng) are often used instead of '被', but unlike '被', they always require a doer to be mentioned.
More HSK 3 grammar
See 被 in real Chinese
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