被
passive marker (by)
bèi
What does 被 mean?
被 (bèi) is the standard passive marker in Mandarin, working like English 'by' in passive sentences. The pattern is Subject (recipient of action) + 被 + Agent + Verb + complement: 杯子被弟弟打破了 ('the cup was broken by my younger brother'). The agent after 被 can also be omitted when unknown or unimportant: 我的手机被偷了 ('my phone got stolen').
Three things English speakers must know: first, the verb after 被 almost always needs a result, complement, or 了 — bare verbs sound incomplete. Second, traditionally 被 implied something negative happened to the subject, but contemporary Chinese (especially news and journalism) uses it neutrally and even positively. Third, when you focus on the actor DOING something to an object, use 把 (the active-emphasis particle); 被 is its passive mirror — same event, opposite framing.
Note: Neutral. Historically 被 was associated with unfortunate or negative events (被打 'got hit,' 被骗 'got cheated')
Character breakdown
passive marker; quilt; cover
Memory hook: 被 also means 'quilt' — picture a quilt being thrown OVER you. The action comes from outside, the quilt (you) receives it. That's passive voice.
Example sentences
我的手机被偷了。
Wǒ de shǒujī bèi tōu le.
My phone got stolen.
spoken
杯子被弟弟打破了。
Bēizi bèi dìdi dǎ pò le.
The cup was broken by my little brother.
neutral
他被老师叫到办公室。
Tā bèi lǎoshī jiào dào bàngōngshì.
He was called to the office by the teacher.
neutral
这本书被翻译成了很多语言。
Zhè běn shū bèi fānyì chéng le hěn duō yǔyán.
This book has been translated into many languages.
written
我的自行车被雨淋湿了。
Wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi yǔ lín shī le.
My bike got soaked by the rain.
spoken
Common phrases with 被
Synonyms
Don't confuse 被 with
把 and 被 are opposite framings of the same event. 我把杯子打破了 ('I broke the cup' — actor focus) vs 杯子被我打破了 ('the cup was broken by me' — recipient focus). Both are correct; choose based on what you want to emphasize.
Same pinyin and tone but very different meaning — 倍 is a multiplier 'times': 两倍 ('twice / double'). 我比你高两倍 ('I'm twice as tall as you'). Don't confuse with passive 被.
FAQ
Acquire by listening
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