被: the passive (and spoken 叫, 让)
我的手机被偷了: thing + 被 + (doer) + verb + something more. Often for unwelcome events; 叫 and 让 in speech.
Part of the free B1 Chinese course (about HSK 4). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
The pattern
In a passive sentence the subject is the thing that something happens to: my phone was stolen. Chinese marks this with 被 (bèi) before the doer and the verb.
| Receiver | 被 | Doer (optional) | Verb + something more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我的手机 | 被 | (小偷) | 偷了 |
| 他 | 被 | 老师 | 批评了 |
| 窗户 | 被 | 风 | 吹开了 |
- 我的手机被偷了。My phone was stolen.
- 他被老师批评了。He was told off by the teacher.
- 窗户被风吹开了。The window was blown open by the wind.
- 蛋糕被弟弟吃完了。The cake was eaten up by my little brother.
The doer can be left out when it is unknown or unimportant: 我的手机被偷了. If you know there was a person but not who, say 被人 (bèi rén): 我的钥匙被人拿走了。
- 我的钥匙被人拿走了。Someone took my keys.
The verb needs something after it
As with 把 (把: doing something to a definite thing), the verb after 被 doesn't stand alone. It takes 了, a result or direction complement (Result complements: 看完, 听懂, 找到, Direction complements: 进来, 出去, 回来), 过, or a phrase that says how things ended up: 被偷了, 被吃完了, 被风吹开了.
Negatives and adverbs go before 被
没 (not), 已经 (already), 又 (again), 差点儿 (almost) and modal verbs come before 被, not before the verb:
- 我没被老师发现。I wasn't spotted by the teacher.
- 他又被妈妈骂了。He got scolded by his mum again.
Mostly unwelcome, but not only
Traditionally 被 is used for things that happen to you and that you'd rather avoid: being robbed, criticised, rained on, caught. That is still its most common use. Modern Chinese, especially in writing and the news, also uses it for neutral or good events:
- 她被老师表扬了。(biǎoyáng)She was praised by the teacher.
- 我被这部电影感动了。(gǎndòng)I was moved by this film.
Spoken 叫 and 让 (and 给)
In everyday speech 叫 (jiào) and 让 (ràng) often replace 被. The difference: after 叫 and 让 you must name the doer (use 人 if you don't know who).
- 我的伞叫人拿走了。Someone has walked off with my umbrella.
- 衣服让雨淋湿了。(línshī)The clothes got soaked by the rain.
You will also hear 给 in northern speech: 我的钱包给偷了 (my wallet got stolen). Recognise it; 被 is the safe choice.
Many English passives need no 被
When the thing obviously can't be the doer, Chinese simply puts it first with no marker at all: 作业做完了 (the homework is done), 信寄出去了 (the letter has been sent). This "notional passive" is much more common than 被 for everyday, neutral results.
If an English passive describes a plain, neutral result (the room has been cleaned), try the sentence without 被 first: 房间打扫好了。
Common mistakes
我被老师没批评。→ 我没被老师批评。没 goes before 被.我的伞叫拿走了。→ 我的伞叫人拿走了。叫 and 让 must name a doer; only 被 can drop it.杯子被他打。→ 杯子被他打破了。A bare verb sounds unfinished: say what happened to the cup.这本书被写得很好。→ 这本书写得很好。Not wrong grammar, but less natural: a neutral description needs no 被.
Practice
- 我的钱包_____小偷偷走了。Options: 被 · 把 · 对
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被 — 被 marks the doer in a passive. With 把 the wallet would be doing the stealing.
- Which sentence means 'The car was driven away by Dad'?Options: 车被爸爸开走了。 · 爸爸被车开走了。 · 车把爸爸开走了。
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车被爸爸开走了。 — Receiver (车) + 被 + doer (爸爸) + verb + complement.
- 我的蛋糕被妹妹吃_____了。
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完 — A result complement says how it ended: 吃完, 吃掉 or 吃光 all mean eaten up.
- Which is correct?Options: 我没被老师发现。 · 我被老师没发现。 · 我被没老师发现。
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我没被老师发现。 — Negatives go before 被.