被bèi

Passive Voice with 被 (bèi)

Meaning: Passive voice marking the receiver of action

Pattern

The passive sentence with 被 (bèi) is a crucial syntactic construction at HSK 3.
In this structure, the receiver of the action (patient) is placed at the head of the sentence as the grammatical subject, followed by 被, the optional agent who performed the action, and the verb accompanied by other elements.
Like the 把 sentence, the verb in a 被 sentence cannot stand alone; it requires complements, the particle 了, or other following components.
Traditionally, 被 predominantly conveyed negative, unfortunate, or undesirable outcomes (e.g., being scolded, losing an item, getting hurt).
While modern Chinese also permits neutral events with 被, the negative connotation remains predominant.

1
我的自行车被偷了。
Wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi tōu le.
My bicycle was stolen.
2
蛋糕被弟弟吃完了。
Dàngāo bèi dìdi chī wán le.
The cake was eaten up by younger brother.
3
他被老师批评了。
Tā bèi lǎoshī pīpíng le.
He was criticized by the teacher.

•The agent after 被 can be omitted; never use 被 with stative verbs like 是, 有, 在.

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

•Incorrect: 我被打。 → Correct: 我被他打了。 (verb requires complement or particle)

•Do not use 被 with stative verbs such as 是, 有, or 在.

Combine Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading Practice, Listening, Hanzi Writing, and Mock Exams at HSK 3 to master all skills together.