bèi: 被 - The Passive Voice Marker ("by")

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Summary: Learn to use “被” (bèi), the essential character for forming the passive voice in Mandarin Chinese. While it directly translates to “by,” its usage is nuanced. This guide explains how “被” is used to describe events where the subject is acted upon, often with a negative or unfortunate connotation, distinguishing it from the more neutral passive voice in English. Master the “被” structure to express experiences like having your wallet stolen, being criticized, or being affected by an external force, and understand its evolving use in modern and online Chinese.

Pinyin (with tone marks): bèi

Part of Speech: Preposition / Coverb / Particle

HSK Level: HSK 3

Concise Definition: A grammatical particle used to indicate the passive voice, introducing the agent of an action (similar to “by” in English).

In a Nutshell: `被` is your key to flipping a sentence around. Instead of saying “Someone stole my bike,” you can say “My bike 被 (bèi) stolen.” It puts the focus on the thing that received the action. Crucially, in Chinese, this structure usually implies the event was unfortunate, unwanted, or out of the subject's control. Think of it as the “unfortunate things happened to me” particle.

The original meaning of `被` was a quilt or a blanket—something that *covers* you. This physical meaning of “being covered” evolved into the grammatical meaning of “being acted upon” or “being subjected to” an action. Just as a blanket covers you, an action can “cover” or happen to a person or object.

In Chinese culture and communication, there is a strong preference for the active voice. People generally describe who did what directly. The use of the passive voice with `被` is therefore a deliberate choice that carries specific weight.

Implicit Negativity: Traditionally, `被` is reserved for negative, unfortunate, or undesirable events. It frames the subject as a victim or a passive recipient of a bad outcome. Saying “My cake was eaten” (`我的蛋糕被吃了`) isn't just a neutral statement of fact; it implies, “Someone ate my cake, and I'm not happy about it!” or “My cake is gone, unfortunately.”

Comparison to Western Culture: In English, the passive voice is a common tool for formal, academic, or professional writing to sound objective (“The decision was made…”). Using `被` this way in casual Chinese can sound overly dramatic or like you're complaining. While this neutral usage exists in very formal Chinese, for a beginner, it's safest to associate `被` with negative situations. This reflects a cultural tendency to not dwell on being a victim unless it's a significant event.

`叫` (jiào) - An informal, spoken alternative to `被`, common in Northern China. It carries the same negative connotation. Example: `我的手机叫他弄坏了。` (My phone was broken by him.)

`让` (ràng) - Another informal, spoken alternative to `被`, also meaning “to let” or “to allow.” It also implies a negative outcome. Example: `衣服让他弄脏了。` (The clothes were made dirty by him.)

`给` (gěi) - Can sometimes be used informally in place of `被`, especially in the structure `…给…了`. Example: `杯子给摔了。` (The cup was dropped/smashed.)

`把` (bǎ) - The `把` structure is the “opposite” of `被`. It moves the object to before the verb to show what the subject *did to* the object (`Subject + 把 + Object + Verb`). It's an active voice structure, often contrasted with the passive `被` structure.

`受` (shòu) - A verb meaning “to receive,” “to accept,” or “to suffer.” It often appears in passive-like phrases but is a verb itself, not a grammatical marker like `被`. Common phrases include `受到影响` (shòudào yǐngxiǎng - to be influenced) and `受到欢迎` (shòudào huānyíng - to be welcomed).