Difference between revisions of "Bei Sentences"

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Bei Sentences (被字句) 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 the ''agent'', and may or may not be indicated.
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#REDIRECT [[Bei sentence]]
 
 
== What they are ==
 
 
 
For the sake of clarity, let's give some English examples:
 
* The boy '''ate''' the hot dog. (normal sentence in the active voice; note that "the hot dog" is the object of the verb "ate")
 
* The hot dog '''was eaten''' by the boy. (the same sentence in the passive voice; "the hot dog" is now the subject, and "the boy" is the agent)
 
* The hot dog '''was eaten'''. (also in the passive voice, but with the agent omitted)
 
 
 
Now let's see those same sentences in Chinese:
 
* <span class="liju">男孩 吃 了 热狗 。</span>
 
* <span class="liju">热狗 被 男孩 吃 了 。</span>
 
* <span class="liju">热狗 被 吃 了 。</span>
 
 
 
== Why use them? ==
 
 
 
Passive sentences are used for several main reasons<ref>See also Section 17.3 of [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&tag=sinosplice-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0415700108 Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide], "Conditions for using the passive in Mandarin"</ref>:
 
# To indicate that one has been negatively affected.
 
#* <span class="liju">我 被 开除 了 。</span> ''I have been fired.''
 
#* <span class="liju">我的 热狗 被 吃 了 。</span> ''My hot dog has been eaten.''
 
# To shift emphasis from the "doer" of the action to the one affected by that action.
 
#* <span class="liju">我的 老师 肯定 不 会 被 开除 。</span> ''My teacher will definitely not be fired.''
 
#* <span class="liju">只 有 那些 很 好吃 的 热狗 被 吃掉 。</span> ''Only those really tasty hot dogs were eaten.''
 
# To avoid having to mention the "doer" of the action, either because it is unknown, or for other reasons.
 
#* <span class="liju">我 被 开除 了 。</span> ''I have been fired.''
 
#* <span class="liju">我的 热狗 被 吃了  。</span> ''My hot dog has been eaten.''
 
 
 
== How to use them ==
 
How
 
 
 
== Advanced modern usage ==
 
 
 
In recent years, special uses of 被 have popped up online.  These uses occur with verbs which don't normally ever use 被, in order to emphasize a lack of control over the action, often including some kind of underlying statistical falsification.<ref>[http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2206 Suicided: the adversative passive as a form of active resistance] (Victor Mair on Language Log)</ref><ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_disappearance#Linguistic_considerations Forced disappearance: Linguistic considerations] (Wikipedia)</ref>
 
 
 
Examples include:
 
* 被和谐 to be harmonized
 
* 被自杀 to be suicided
 
* 被毕业 to be graduated
 
* 被就业 to be employed
 
* 被旅游 to be (forced to) travel
 
* 被代表 to be represented
 
* 被失踪 to be disappeared
 
 
 
== References ==
 
<references/>
 
 
 
== External links ==
 
ChinesePod: [http://chinesepod.com/lessons/passive-verbs-and-%E8%A2%AB Qing Wen - Passive Verbs and 被]
 

Latest revision as of 09:42, 29 July 2011

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