Using "bei" sentences

Bei Sentences, which are called 被字句 (bèizìjù) in Chinese, are a key way to express the passive in modern Mandarin Chinese. In passive sentences, the object of an action becomes the subject of the sentence, and what would have been the subject of the normal (active voice) sentence, the "doer" of the action, becomes secondary, and may or may not be included in the passive sentence.

What is a 被 sentence

被 (bèi) sentences (被字句 in Chinese) are simply sentences which use a passive verb and the preposition 被. 被 sentences are not the only way to create the passive verb form in Chinese, but they are the most common, and definitely the type to tackle first.

For the sake of clarity, take these sentences for example:

• 男孩 吃 了 热狗 。normal sentence in the active voice; note that "the hot dog" is the object of the verb "ate"The boy ate the hot dog.
• 热狗 被 男孩 吃 了 。"the hot dog" is now the subject, and "the boy" is the "doer"Règǒu bèi nánhái chī le.The hot dog was eaten by the boy.
• 热狗 被 吃 了 。passive voice with the "doer" omittedRègǒu bèi chī le.The hot dog was eaten.

Why use them?

Passive sentences are used for several main reasons:

1. To indicate that one has been negatively affected. For example:
   • 他 被 打 了 。Tā bèi dǎ le.He got beaten up.
2. To shift emphasis from the "doer" of the action to the one affected by that action. For example:
   • 谁 被 炒鱿鱼 了 ？Shéi bèi chǎoyóuyú le?Who got fired?
3. To avoid having to mention the "doer" of the action, either because it is unknown, or for other reasons. For example:
   • 我 家 被 偷 了 。Wǒ jiā bèi tōu le.My house got stolen.

How to use them

Normal use of 被 has a few preconditions:

1. The verb to be used with 被 needs to have an object (this will become the new subject of the 被 sentence). Verbs that take objects are called transitive verbs.
2. If you're going to state who the verb was done by (the "doer"), then the subject doing the original action must be known.
3. The verb can't be too simple (for example, a one-character verb like 吃). Put simply, something needs to come after the verb. That "something" can be a particle, a complement, or sometimes even an additional object.

被 Sentence with a Doer

Subj. + 被 + Doer + [Verb Phrase]

• 我 被 他 骗 了 。Wǒ bèi tā piàn le.I got deceived by him.
• 他 被 警察 抓 了 。Tā bèi jǐngchá zhuā le.He got arrested by the police.
• 文件 被 你 删 了 ？Wénjiàn bèi nǐ shān le?Has this document been deleted by you?
• 你 被 北京 大学 录取 了 ？Nǐ bèi Běijīng dàxué lùqǔ le?Are you admitted into Peking University?

被 Sentence without Doer

• 你 的 手机 被 偷 了 ？Nǐ de shǒujī bèi tōu le??
• 你们 被 淘汰 了 ？Nǐmen bèi táotài le??
• 他 经常 被 欺负 。Tā jīngcháng bèi qīfu.He often gets bullied.
• 我 是 被 逼 的 ！Wǒ shì bèi bī de!I was forced into this!

Negating 被 sentences

There's just one other complication. What if you want to make a sentence in the negative? To negate a 被 sentence, you need to insert 不 or 别 (present or future) or 没有 (past) directly in front of 被.

Negating 被 sentences

Doer	Negative	被	Subj.	Verb Phrase
我	没有	被	他	骗	。
你	没	被	北京 大学	录取	？
大家	别	被	这 种 人	影响	。
他 的 小说	不	被	那个 时代	认可	。

Adverbs in 被 sentences

What if you want to include adverbs in your 被 sentence? Where should those go? They go in the same place as the negative adverb 没有, above. (Frequently you'll see the word "adverbial" or "adverbial adjunct" used in this case, because some words in Chinese, such as time words, act like adverbs but are technically nouns.) In the following example we'll use the adverb 刚, which is used to express that something just recently happened.

Subj. + Adv. + 被 + Doer + [Verb Phrase]

被 sentences with adverbs

Subj.	Adv.	被	Doer	Verb Phrase
他	刚才	被	同学	打	了	。
我们	都	被	北京 大学	录取	了	。
你 的 手机	又	被		偷	了	？
小偷	终于	被		抓住	了	！

See also

• Passive verbs with "shou"
• Ba sentence
• Result complement
• Direction complement

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 470-7) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 55) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 2 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (pp. 182) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 164-6) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 362-4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 243-4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 492-508) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 100-7) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 239-40) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Short-term Spoken Chinese: Threshold Vol. 2 (汉语口语入门篇下) (pp. 168-70) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 428-9) [ →buy]

Websites

• ChinesePod (free content): Qing Wen - Passive Verbs and 被
• East Asia Student: Mandarin passive voice: grammar and usage

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