For autodidact students of Mandarin, the passive marker 被 (bèi) — roughly "by" — introduces one of Chinese grammar's most distinctive features: the 被-construction, which reverses the usual subject-verb-object order to put the receiver of the action first. 书被他拿走了 (The book was taken away by him) — the book, normally the object, becomes the grammatical subject.
Chinese uses the passive far less than English does. In English, passive voice is a neutral stylistic option; in Chinese, the 被-construction carries a strong connotation of the subject being adversely affected — things done to someone, often unwelcome. 他被老板批评了 (He was criticised by the boss) implies the criticism was unpleasant. This adversative flavour means 被 cannot be used freely for neutral or positive passives the way English "was" can.
Key Takeaways: - 被 marks the passive: [receiver] + 被 + [agent] + verb + complement - The agent (doer) can be omitted: 书被拿走了 (The book was taken away) - 被 traditionally implies adverse/unwanted action — things done TO someone - Modern Chinese is expanding 被 to neutral contexts, but the adversative sense remains dominant - Alternatives: 叫 (jiào) and 让 (ràng) are colloquial passives — 他让雨淋了 (He got rained on)
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被 is composed of 衤(the clothing radical, a compressed form of 衣 yī, garment) on the left, and 皮 (pí, skin/leather) on the right as phonetic component. The original meaning was "bedding / blanket" — something that covers and envelops you. The grammatical evolution from "covered by" to "acted upon by" preserves this sense of something imposed from outside, descending upon the subject.
The clothing radical 衤appears in many garment-related characters: 衫 (shān, shirt), 裤 (kù, trousers), 裙 (qún, skirt), 袜 (wà, socks). Recognising it helps distinguish 被 from visually similar characters.
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32.1a 他 he 被 PASS 老板 boss 批评 criticised 了 PERF
32.1b (tā) he (bèi) PASS (lǎobǎn) boss (pīpíng) criticised (le) PERF
32.2a 我 my 的 DE 手机 phone 被 PASS 偷 stolen 了 PERF
32.2b (wǒ) my (de) DE (shǒujī) phone (bèi) PASS (tōu) stolen (le) PERF
32.3a 那 that 棵 CL 树 tree 被 PASS 风 wind 吹 blown 倒 fallen 了 PERF
32.3b (nà) that (kē) CL (shù) tree (bèi) PASS (fēng) wind (chuī) blown (dǎo) fallen (le) PERF
32.4a 蛋糕 cake 被 PASS 孩子们 children 吃 eaten 完 finish 了 PERF
32.4b (dàngāo) cake (bèi) PASS (háizimen) children (chī) eaten (wán) finish (le) PERF
32.5a 这 this 个 CL 消息 news 被 PASS 很多 many 人 people 转发 forwarded 了 PERF
32.5b (zhège) this-CL (xiāoxi) news (bèi) PASS (hěn duō) many (rén) people (zhuǎnfā) forwarded (le) PERF
32.6a 他 he 被 PASS 雨 rain 淋 drenched 湿 wet 了 PERF
32.6b (tā) he (bèi) PASS (yǔ) rain (lín) drenched (shī) wet (le) PERF
32.7a 信 letter 被 PASS 寄 sent 出去 out 了 PERF ， , 收 take 不 not 回来 back 了 PERF
32.7b (xìn) letter (bèi) PASS (jì) sent (chū qù) out (le) PERF (shōu) take (bu) not (huílái) back (le) PERF
32.8a 窗户 window 被 PASS 打 hit 破 broken 了 PERF
32.8b (chuānghu) window (bèi) PASS (dǎ) hit (pò) broken (le) PERF
32.9a 他 he 被 PASS 选 chosen 为 as 班长 class-monitor
32.9b (tā) he (bèi) PASS (xuǎn) chosen (wéi) as (bānzhǎng) class-monitor
32.10a 问题 problem 被 PASS 解决 resolved 了 PERF
32.10b (wèntí) problem (bèi) PASS (jiějué) resolved (le) PERF
32.11a 她 she 被 PASS 这 this 个 CL 故事 story 深深地 deeply-DE 感动 moved 了 PERF
32.11b (tā) she (bèi) PASS (zhège) this-CL (gùshi) story (shēnshēn de) deeply-DE (gǎndòng) moved (le) PERF
32.12a 秘密 secret 被 PASS 发现 discovered 了 PERF
32.12b (mìmì) secret (bèi) PASS (fāxiàn) discovered (le) PERF
32.13a 那 that 座 CL 桥 bridge 是 was 一百年 hundred-years 前 ago 被 PASS 建造 built 的 DE
32.13b (nà) that (zuò) CL (qiáo) bridge (shì) was (yī bǎi nián) hundred-years (qián) ago (bèi) PASS (jiànzào) built (de) DE
32.14a 他 he 被 PASS 大家 everyone 叫 called 做 as "老好人" "nice-guy"
32.14b (tā) he (bèi) PASS (dàjiā) everyone (jiào) called (zuò) as ("lǎo hǎo rén") "nice-guy"
32.15a 不要 don't 被 PASS 表面 surface 现象 appearance 所 PART 迷惑 deceived
32.15b (bùyào) don't (bèi) PASS (biǎomiàn) surface (xiànxiàng) appearance (suǒ) PART (míhuo) deceived
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32.1 他被老板批评了。 "He was criticised by the boss."
32.2 我的手机被偷了。 "My phone was stolen."
32.3 那棵树被风吹倒了。 "That tree was blown down by the wind."
32.4 蛋糕被孩子们吃完了。 "The cake was eaten up by the children."
32.5 这个消息被很多人转发了。 "This news was forwarded by many people."
32.6 他被雨淋湿了。 "He got drenched by the rain."
32.7 信被寄出去了，收不回来了。 "The letter has been sent out — it cannot be taken back."
32.8 窗户被打破了。 "The window was broken."
32.9 他被选为班长。 "He was chosen as class monitor."
32.10 问题被解决了。 "The problem was resolved."
32.11 她被这个故事深深地感动了。 "She was deeply moved by this story."
32.12 秘密被发现了。 "The secret was discovered."
32.13 那座桥是一百年前被建造的。 "That bridge was built a hundred years ago."
32.14 他被大家叫做"老好人"。 "He is called 'the nice guy' by everyone."
32.15 不要被表面现象所迷惑。 "Don't be deceived by surface appearances."
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32.1 他被老板批评了。 32.2 我的手机被偷了。 32.3 那棵树被风吹倒了。 32.4 蛋糕被孩子们吃完了。 32.5 这个消息被很多人转发了。 32.6 他被雨淋湿了。 32.7 信被寄出去了，收不回来了。 32.8 窗户被打破了。 32.9 他被选为班长。 32.10 问题被解决了。 32.11 她被这个故事深深地感动了。 32.12 秘密被发现了。 32.13 那座桥是一百年前被建造的。 32.14 他被大家叫做"老好人"。 32.15 不要被表面现象所迷惑。
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These are the grammar rules for 被 (bèi) — the passive marker:
Basic 被-construction: [receiver] + 被 + [agent] + verb + complement
The receiver of the action comes first as the grammatical subject. 被 introduces the agent (the doer). The verb must carry a complement (了, 完, 倒, 湿, etc.) — a bare verb after 被 is usually incomplete:
- 他被老板批评了 — he + PASS + boss + criticise + PERF - 蛋糕被孩子们吃完了 — cake + PASS + children + eat + finish + PERF - 窗户被打破了 — window + PASS + hit + broken + PERF
Agent omission: The agent can be omitted when unknown or unimportant: 我的手机被偷了 (My phone was stolen — by whom is unknown). 问题被解决了 (The problem was resolved — who resolved it is irrelevant).
The adversative connotation: Traditional Chinese grammar treats 被 as inherently adversative — the subject suffers, loses, or is negatively affected. Most textbook examples are bad things happening: stolen, broken, criticised, drenched, deceived. This is why Chinese speakers avoid 被 for positive events in careful speech, preferring active constructions: 大家选他当班长 (Everyone chose him as monitor) rather than 他被选为班长.
Modern Chinese, particularly in written media and translation from English, is expanding 被 into neutral and even positive territory: 他被录取了 (He was admitted [to university]); 这部电影被很多人喜爱 (This film is loved by many people). This expansion is ongoing but the adversative sense remains the default in spoken Chinese.
被…所… — literary passive:
不要被表面现象所迷惑 (Don't be deceived by surface appearances). The 所 before the verb is a literary reinforcement of the passive — it adds formality and emphasis. This 被…所… pattern is found in written Chinese, speeches, and proverbs, not in casual speech.
Colloquial alternatives to 被:
- 叫 (jiào): 衣服叫雨淋湿了 (The clothes got drenched by the rain) — more colloquial - 让 (ràng): 他让老师批评了 (He got criticised by the teacher) — conversational - 给 (gěi): 杯子给打碎了 (The cup got smashed) — very colloquial, often implies accident
All three share the adversative connotation of 被 but are heard more in speech; 被 dominates in writing.
Result complements are mandatory: A bare verb after 被 is incomplete: *手机被偷 is unfinished — it needs 了 or another complement: 手机被偷了 (was stolen), 手机被偷走了 (was stolen away). The complement marks the completed result of the passive action.
Common Mistakes: - Using 被 for positive events in casual speech — Chinese prefers active voice: 大家都喜欢他 (Everyone likes him) rather than *他被大家喜欢 - Omitting the result complement: *窗户被打 — incomplete; needs 破了 or similar - Translating English passive directly: "The book was written by Lu Xun" → 这本书是鲁迅写的 (using 是…的, NOT 被)
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The adversative connotation of 被 has generated one of Chinese internet culture's most creative neologisms: 被自杀 (bèi zìshā, "was suicided") — meaning someone's death was officially ruled a suicide but is suspected to have been murder. This darkly ironic construction went viral because it exposes the absurdity of the passive applied to an inherently active verb: you cannot be "passived" into committing suicide. The internet neologism 被 + active verb became a template: 被自愿 (was volunteered), 被代表 (was represented — without consent), 被和谐 (was harmonised — i.e. censored). These coinages depend entirely on the adversative force of 被 — something was done to someone against their will.
In traditional Chinese aesthetics, the passive voice is associated with fate and the movement of heaven: things happen to people; the world acts upon you. Classical poetry frequently uses passive structures without 被 — the passivity is implied by the topic-comment structure of Chinese: 月移花影 (the moon moves, the flower shadows [are moved]) — where the shadows are passive recipients of the moon's action without any marker.
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杜甫 (Dù Fǔ), 《春望》— Spring Prospect, 757 CE
Du Fu's masterpiece of wartime lament uses passive imagery throughout — a city acted upon by war, nature acting upon the poet — though classical Chinese does not use the 被 marker. The concept of the passive is everywhere; the grammatical marker is absent.
国破山河在，城春草木深。
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
国 (guó) kingdom 破 (pò) broken 山河 (shān hé) mountains-rivers 在 (zài) remain ，
城 (chéng) city 春 (chūn) spring 草木 (cǎo mù) grass-trees 深 (shēn) deep/thick
F-B: Authentic Text with Translation
国破山河在，城春草木深。
"The kingdom is broken — the mountains and rivers remain. Spring comes to the city — grass and trees grow thick."
F-C: Authentic Text Only
国破山河在，城春草木深。
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
国破 (guó pò): "the kingdom broken" — 破 (broken/destroyed) is a result applied to 国 (kingdom). There is no 被 marker, yet the kingdom is clearly the patient — it was broken by war, not by its own action. Classical Chinese embeds passivity in the topic-comment structure itself: state the topic (国), then state what happened to it (破).
山河在 (shān hé zài): "the mountains and rivers remain" — 在 (Lesson 26) as main verb: the mountains and rivers are still present, still located where they always were. The contrast is devastating: the human kingdom is broken; the natural landscape endures.
草木深 (cǎo mù shēn): "grass and trees [grow] thick/deep." 深 usually means "deep" but here describes dense overgrowth — the city has been abandoned to nature. Spring, normally a time of renewal, here marks the extent of human absence.
F-E: Literary Commentary
Du Fu's couplet is a passive without 被. The kingdom was broken — by whom? By the An Lushan rebellion, by war, by history. The agent is too large to name. This is the deepest use of the passive in Chinese: when the force acting upon you is so vast that no agent word is adequate. Modern 被 with its specific agent slot (被老板批评, criticised by the boss) is the domesticated version; Du Fu's agentless passive is the original — the kingdom broken by everything and nothing, the mountains remaining despite it all.
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A news report about a historic bridge — built, damaged, rebuilt, nearly demolished, and finally preserved. The passive appears naturally throughout: the bridge is the constant subject, acted upon by time, war, floods, bureaucrats, and finally saved by public protest.
32.16a 这 this 座 CL 石桥 stone-bridge 建 built 于 in 清朝 Qing-Dynasty 末年 last-years
32.16b (zhè) this (zuò) CL (shí qiáo) stone-bridge (jiàn) built (yú) in (Qīngcháo) Qing-Dynasty (mònián) last-years
32.17a 它 it 被 PASS 一位 one-CL-polite 当地 local 富商 wealthy-merchant 出资 funded 修建 constructed
32.17b (tā) it (bèi) PASS (yī wèi) one-CL-polite (dāngdì) local (fùshāng) wealthy-merchant (chūzī) funded (xiūjiàn) constructed
32.18a 桥 bridge 被 PASS 建成 built-complete 后 after ， , 成为 became 两岸 both-banks 百姓 common-people 的 DE 必经之路 essential-route
32.18b (qiáo) bridge (bèi) PASS (jiànchéng) built-complete (hòu) after (chéngwéi) became (liǎng àn) both-banks (bǎixìng) common-people (de) DE (bì jīng zhī lù) essential-route
32.19a 然而 however ， , 在 in 战争 war 中 during ， , 桥 bridge 被 PASS 炸弹 bomb 炸 bombed 毁 destroyed 了 PERF 一半 half
32.19b (rán'ér) however (zài) in (zhànzhēng) war (zhōng) during (qiáo) bridge (bèi) PASS (zhàdàn) bomb (zhà) bombed (huǐ) destroyed (le) PERF (yī bàn) half
32.20a 战后 post-war ， , 桥 bridge 被 PASS 当地 local 村民 villagers 用 with 石头 stones 修补 repaired 了 PERF
32.20b (zhànhòu) post-war (qiáo) bridge (bèi) PASS (dāngdì) local (cūnmín) villagers (yòng) with (shítou) stones (xiūbǔ) repaired (le) PERF
32.21a 修补 repair 的 DE 痕迹 traces 至今 until-now 还能 still-can 被 PASS 看 seen 到 to
32.21b (xiūbǔ) repair (de) DE (hénjì) traces (zhìjīn) until-now (hái néng) still-can (bèi) PASS (kàn) seen (dào) to
32.22a 上世纪 last-century 九十年代 nineties ， , 桥 bridge 差点 almost 被 PASS 拆除 demolished
32.22b (shàng shìjì) last-century (jiǔshí niándài) nineties (qiáo) bridge (chà diǎn) almost (bèi) PASS (chāichú) demolished
32.23a 开发商 developer 想 wanted 把 BA 这里 here 改建 rebuild 成 into 商业区 commercial-zone
32.23b (kāifāshāng) developer (xiǎng) wanted (bǎ) BA (zhèlǐ) here (gǎijiàn) rebuild (chéng) into (shāngyèqū) commercial-zone
32.24a 消息 news 被 PASS 传 spread 开 open 后 after ， , 居民 residents 联名 jointly-signed 反对 opposed
32.24b (xiāoxi) news (bèi) PASS (chuán) spread (kāi) open (hòu) after (jūmín) residents (liánmíng) jointly-signed (fǎnduì) opposed
32.25a 最终 finally ， , 桥 bridge 被 PASS 列 listed 为 as 市级 city-level 文物 cultural-relic 保护 protection 单位 unit
32.25b (zuìzhōng) finally (qiáo) bridge (bèi) PASS (liè) listed (wéi) as (shìjí) city-level (wénwù) cultural-relic (bǎohù) protection (dānwèi) unit
32.26a 如今 nowadays ， , 桥上 bridge-on 的 DE 石板 flagstones 被 PASS 无数 countless 脚步 footsteps 磨 worn 得 DE 光滑 smooth
32.26b (rújīn) nowadays (qiáo shàng) bridge-on (de) DE (shíbǎn) flagstones (bèi) PASS (wúshù) countless (jiǎobù) footsteps (mó) worn (de) DE (guānghuá) smooth
32.27a 每块 every-CL 石头 stone 都 all 被 PASS 时间 time 留下 left-behind 了 PERF 痕迹 traces
32.27b (měi kuài) every-CL (shítou) stone (dōu) all (bèi) PASS (shíjiān) time (liú xià) left-behind (le) PERF (hénjì) traces
32.28a 游客 tourists 被 PASS 它 it 的 DE 古朴 antique-simplicity 吸引 attracted ， , 纷纷 one-after-another 前来 come 参观 visit
32.28b (yóukè) tourists (bèi) PASS (tā) it (de) DE (gǔpǔ) antique-simplicity (xīyǐn) attracted (fēnfēn) one-after-another (qiánlái) come (cānguān) visit
32.29a 一位 one-CL-polite 老人 old-person 说 said ： : "这 this 座 CL 桥 bridge 被 PASS 打过 hit-EXP 、 , 被 PASS 修过 repaired-EXP 、 , 差点 almost 被 PASS 拆掉 torn-down ， , 但 but 它 it 还在 still-present 。"
32.29b (yī wèi) one-CL-polite (lǎorén) old-person (shuō) said (zhè) this (zuò) CL (qiáo) bridge (bèi) PASS (dǎ guò) hit-EXP (bèi) PASS (xiū guò) repaired-EXP (chà diǎn) almost (bèi) PASS (chāi diào) torn-down (dàn) but (tā) it (hái zài) still-present
32.30a "人 people 被 PASS 忘记 forgotten ， , 桥 bridge 不会 will-not 。"
32.30b ("rén) people (bèi) PASS (wàngjì) forgotten (qiáo) bridge (bù huì) will-not
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32.16 这座石桥建于清朝末年。 "This stone bridge was built in the final years of the Qing Dynasty."
32.17 它被一位当地富商出资修建。 "It was funded and constructed by a local wealthy merchant."
32.18 桥被建成后，成为两岸百姓的必经之路。 "After the bridge was completed, it became an essential route for people on both banks."
32.19 然而，在战争中，桥被炸弹炸毁了一半。 "However, during the war, half the bridge was destroyed by bombs."
32.20 战后，桥被当地村民用石头修补了。 "After the war, the bridge was repaired with stones by local villagers."
32.21 修补的痕迹至今还能被看到。 "The traces of repair can still be seen today."
32.22 上世纪九十年代，桥差点被拆除。 "In the nineteen nineties, the bridge was nearly demolished."
32.23 开发商想把这里改建成商业区。 "A developer wanted to rebuild this area as a commercial zone."
32.24 消息被传开后，居民联名反对。 "After the news spread, residents signed a joint petition in opposition."
32.25 最终，桥被列为市级文物保护单位。 "In the end, the bridge was listed as a city-level cultural heritage site."
32.26 如今，桥上的石板被无数脚步磨得光滑。 "Nowadays, the flagstones on the bridge have been worn smooth by countless footsteps."
32.27 每块石头都被时间留下了痕迹。 "Every stone has had traces left on it by time."
32.28 游客被它的古朴吸引，纷纷前来参观。 "Tourists are attracted by its antique simplicity and come one after another to visit."
32.29 一位老人说："这座桥被打过、被修过、差点被拆掉，但它还在。" "An old man said: 'This bridge has been hit, been repaired, nearly been torn down — but it is still here.'"
32.30 "人被忘记，桥不会。" "'People are forgotten; bridges are not.'"
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32.16 这座石桥建于清朝末年。 32.17 它被一位当地富商出资修建。 32.18 桥被建成后，成为两岸百姓的必经之路。 32.19 然而，在战争中，桥被炸弹炸毁了一半。 32.20 战后，桥被当地村民用石头修补了。 32.21 修补的痕迹至今还能被看到。 32.22 上世纪九十年代，桥差点被拆除。 32.23 开发商想把这里改建成商业区。 32.24 消息被传开后，居民联名反对。 32.25 最终，桥被列为市级文物保护单位。 32.26 如今，桥上的石板被无数脚步磨得光滑。 32.27 每块石头都被时间留下了痕迹。 32.28 游客被它的古朴吸引，纷纷前来参观。 32.29 一位老人说："这座桥被打过、被修过、差点被拆掉，但它还在。" 32.30 "人被忘记，桥不会。"
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差点被拆除 (chà diǎn bèi chāichú): "was nearly demolished" — 差点 (almost / nearly) modifies the entire 被-construction. This is a common and useful pattern: 差点被 + verb = nearly was [verbed]. 差点被淹死 (nearly drowned), 差点被开除 (nearly fired). The 差点 introduces an action that came close to happening but did not — intensifying the adversative connotation.
被打过、被修过、差点被拆掉 (32.29): Three 被-constructions in sequence, each with 过 (experiential aspect) or 掉 (completive complement). The old man lists the bridge's history as a catalogue of things done TO it — hit, repaired, nearly demolished. The parallel triple 被 is a rhetorical device: each passive accumulates the weight of history upon the bridge, making the final 但它还在 (but it is still here) all the more powerful.
磨得光滑 (mó de guānghuá): "worn smooth" — 磨 (grind/wear) + 得 (complement marker) + 光滑 (smooth). The 得 here introduces a result-of-manner complement: the wearing has produced smoothness. In the passive: 被无数脚步磨得光滑 = "worn smooth by countless footsteps." The complement after 得 describes the resulting state.
建于清朝末年 (jiàn yú Qīngcháo mònián): "built in the final years of the Qing" — 于 (yú) is the classical preposition "in/at/from" — equivalent to modern 在. Used in formal writing: 建于 (built in), 生于 (born in), 位于 (located at). This passive without 被 (just verb + 于 + time/place) is the standard construction in historical and formal Chinese.
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被 (bèi) — IPA: /peɪ̯˥˩/ — Fourth tone, falling.
- b: unaspirated bilabial stop [p] — NOT the English voiced [b]. Mandarin b/p distinction is aspiration, not voicing: 被 (bèi, unaspirated) vs 配 (pèi, aspirated). The vocal cords do not vibrate during the stop in either case. - èi: diphthong [eɪ̯] — starts at mid-front [e] and closes toward [ɪ], the pitch falling sharply throughout. - Tone 4: decisive fall from high to low — the same sharp contour as 是, 不, 去.
被 in connected speech: because 被 is a grammatical marker (not a content word), it is often pronounced quickly and lightly, almost as an unstressed syllable between the subject and the agent. In 他被老板批评了, the 被 receives less emphasis than 老板 or 批评. This de-emphasis is natural and correct.
Contrast: 被 (bèi, 4th tone, passive) vs 杯 (bēi, 1st tone, cup) vs 北 (běi, 3rd tone, north) vs 备 (bèi, 4th tone, prepare). All share the same vowel but differ in tone.
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