被 Passive in Chinese

Overview

The 被 (bèi) construction forms passive sentences in Chinese: Subject + 被 (+ Agent) + Verb. Unlike English where passive is common and neutral, Chinese passive with 被 traditionally carries a negative or unfortunate connotation -- things being lost, broken, stolen, or suffering harm. Modern usage has expanded, but the negative association remains strong.

At the CEFR A2 level, understanding 被 allows you to describe situations where the subject is affected by an action rather than performing it. The agent (who did it) can be included or omitted: 钱被偷了 (The money was stolen) or 钱被他偷了 (The money was stolen by him).

Chinese also uses "notional passive" -- sentences without any passive marker where context makes it clear the subject is being acted upon: 问题解决了 (The problem was solved). This is actually more common than 被 in everyday Chinese.

How It Works

Pattern: Subject + 被 + (Agent) + Verb + Complement

Structure	Example	Meaning
S + 被 + V + 了	钱被偷了。	The money was stolen.
S + 被 + Agent + V	我被老师批评了。	I was criticized by the teacher.
S + 被 + V + Complement	杯子被打破了。	The cup was broken.

Traditional negative uses

Example	Meaning	Connotation
被偷了	was stolen	loss
被批评了	was criticized	unpleasant
被撞了	was hit	injury
被骗了	was deceived	harm

Other passive markers

Marker	Register	Example
被	standard	被老师批评了
叫	colloquial	叫他说了一顿
让	colloquial	让雨淋了
给	dialectal	给人偷了

Examples in Context

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Note
钱被偷了。	Qián bèi tōu le.	The money was stolen.	no agent
我被老师批评了。	Wǒ bèi lǎoshī pīpíng le.	I was criticized by the teacher.	with agent
他被车撞了。	Tā bèi chē zhuàng le.	He was hit by a car.	accident
作业被做完了。	Zuòyè bèi zuò wán le.	The homework was finished.	neutral
那本书被他借走了。	Nà běn shū bèi tā jiè zǒu le.	That book was borrowed by him.	with agent
蛋糕被吃光了。	Dàngāo bèi chī guāng le.	The cake was all eaten.	complete consumption
他被选为班长。	Tā bèi xuǎn wéi bānzhǎng.	He was elected class monitor.	positive modern use
花瓶被打碎了。	Huāpíng bèi dǎ suì le.	The vase was shattered.	damage
信被寄出去了。	Xìn bèi jì chūqù le.	The letter was sent out.	neutral
问题解决了。	Wèntí jiějué le.	The problem was solved.	notional passive

Common Mistakes

Using 被 for neutral/positive events (in traditional usage)

• Wrong: 我被邀请了 sounds slightly odd in traditional grammar
• Right: For positive events, active voice is often preferred: 他们邀请了我
• Why: Traditionally, 被 implies the subject is negatively affected. Modern usage is loosening this, but be aware of the connotation.

Forgetting the complement after 被

• Wrong: 钱被偷。(incomplete)
• Right: 钱被偷了。(The money was stolen.)
• Why: Like 把 constructions, 被 sentences typically require a complement or 了 after the verb.

Overusing 被 when active voice is more natural

• Wrong: 饭被我吃了。(The food was eaten by me.)
• Right: 我吃了饭。(I ate the food.) -- active voice is more natural here
• Why: Chinese strongly prefers active voice. Use 被 only when the affected object is the focus or the agent is unknown.

Practice Tips

• Start with clearly negative scenarios: things being lost (丢了), broken (打破了), stolen (偷了). These are the most natural 被 contexts.
• Practice converting between active and passive: 他偷了钱 → 钱被他偷了. Notice how the focus shifts.
• Pay attention to "notional passive" in daily Chinese -- many passive-meaning sentences use no marker at all.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Sentence Structure -- understand active sentences before learning passive
• Next steps: Passive Alternatives -- learn other passive markers like 叫, 让, 给