被 (passive voice)

• Pinyin: bèi
• Formation: Subj. + 被 (+ Doer) + Verb + Complement/了
• Hanzi breakdown: 被 = 衤(clothing) + 皮 (skin/leather)

Meaning

The 被 construction is the primary way to form passive sentences in Chinese. It indicates that the subject is the receiver of an action, often with an undesirable or unexpected connotation. The doer of the action can optionally follow 被.

Unlike English where passive voice is neutral, Chinese 被 sentences traditionally carry a negative or unfortunate implication — being affected by something unpleasant. However, in modern Chinese, 被 is increasingly used in neutral and even positive contexts, especially in formal writing and news language. The doer can be omitted when unknown or unimportant: 钱被偷了 means 'the money was stolen.' The verb in a 被 sentence typically requires a complement or 了 to indicate a completed result — bare verbs after 被 sound incomplete. Common complements include resultative complements (被打碎), directional complements (被拿走), and the completion marker 了.

Examples

1. 我的自行车被人偷了。 My bicycle was stolen.
2. 那本书被同事借走了。 That book was borrowed by a colleague.
3. 蛋糕被孩子们吃完了。 The cake was eaten up by the children.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 手机被我不小心摔坏了。
• 那封信已经被寄出去了。
• 他被公司派到上海出差了。
• 窗户被大风吹开了。

Don't Say

• 我的钱被偷。(The verb after 被 must have a complement or 了 to show a result — bare verbs sound incomplete in passive sentences) → 我的钱被偷了。
• 苹果被吃了我。(The doer goes between 被 and the verb, not after — the word order is 被 + doer + verb) → 苹果被我吃了。

Origin & History

The character 被 originally meant 'quilt' or 'to cover.' Its passive usage evolved from the idea of being covered or subjected to an external force. This grammatical function has been documented since classical Chinese texts.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal