Difference between revisions of "Using "bei" sentences"

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# 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''.
 
# 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''.
 
# If you're going to state ''who the verb was done by'' (the "doer"), then the subject doing the original action must be known.
 
# If you're going to state ''who the verb was done by'' (the "doer"), then the subject doing the original action must be known.
# 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.
+
# 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.
  
=== Sentence with a Doer ===
+
We'll make this easier for your to understand by using the most basic sentence pattern for example:
  
==== Structure ====
+
=== Structure ===
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 被 + Doer + Verb + 了
+
Subj. + 被 (+ Doer) + Verb + 了
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
==== Examples ====
+
=== Examples ===
 +
 
 +
被 Sentence with a Doer:
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
*我 <em>被</em> <strong></strong> 骗 了 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bèi</em> <strong>tā</strong> piàn le.</span><span class="trans">I got deceived by him.</span>
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*我 <em>被</em> 他 骗 <strong> </strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bèi</em> <strong>tā</strong> piàn le.</span><span class="trans">I got deceived by him.</span>
*他 <em>被</em> <strong>警察</strong> 抓 了 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bèi</em> <strong>jǐngchá</strong> zhuā le.</span><span class="trans">He got arrested by the police.</span>
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*他 <em>被</em> 警察 抓 <strong></strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bèi</em> <strong>jǐngchá</strong> zhuā le.</span><span class="trans">He got arrested by the police.</span>
*文件 <em>被</em> <strong>你</strong> 删 了 ?<span class="pinyin">Wénjiàn <em>bèi</em> <strong>nǐ</strong> shān le?</span><span class="trans">Has this document been deleted by you?</span>
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*文件 <em>被</em> <strong>你</strong> 删 <strong></strong> ?<span class="pinyin">Wénjiàn <em>bèi</em> <strong>nǐ</strong> shān le?</span><span class="trans">Has this document been deleted by you?</span>
 
 
</div>
 
 
 
=== 被 Sentence without Doer ===
 
  
==== Structure ====
 
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
Subj. + 被 + [Verb Phrase]
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
==== Examples ====
+
被 Sentence without Doer:
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">

Revision as of 07:09, 26 January 2018

Chinese-grammar-wiki-bei4.jpg

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 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 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:
    • 打 了 。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:
    • 公司 炒鱿鱼 了 ?bèi gōngsī chǎo yóuyú le?You got fired by the company?
  3. To avoid having to mention the "doer" of the action, either because it is unknown, or for other reasons. For example:
    • 我 家 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.

We'll make this easier for your to understand by using the most basic 被 sentence pattern for example:

Structure

Subj. + 被 (+ Doer) + Verb + 了

Examples

被 Sentence with a Doer:

  • 他 骗 bèi piàn le.I got deceived by him.
  • 警察 抓 bèi jǐngchá zhuā le.He got arrested by the police.
  • 文件 Wénjiàn bèi shān le?Has this document been deleted by you?

被 Sentence without Doer:

  • 我 的 车 撞 了 。Wǒ de chē bèi zhuàng le.My car got hit.
  • 他们 做 的 坏事 发现 了 。Tāmen zuò de huàishì bèi fāxiàn le.The bad things they've done got caught.
  • 父母 骂 了 。bèi fùmǔ mà le.He was scolded by his parents.

Right or Wrong

  • 打 。He got beaten up.
  • He got beaten up.
  • 伤 了He got beaten up and he was wounded.
  • 他们 做 的 坏事 发现 。The bad things they have done got caught.
  • 他们 做 的 坏事 发现 The bad things they have done got caught.
  • 他们 做 的 坏事 发现 。The bad things they have done didn't get caught.

Forming 把 Sentences

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 没 or 没有 (past) directly in front of 被. For the present and future, use 不 or 别.

Some examples:
Doer Negative Subject Verb Phrase
我们 没有 淘汰
同学 欺负
她 的 想法 父母 理解
骗 了

Question Forms of 被 Sentences

You can make 被 sentences into questions in the usual three ways to form questions in Mandarin:

  • With a question particle
  • With a question word
  • With positive-negative verbs

Some examples:

  • 他 经常 同学 欺负 吗 ?Tā jīngcháng bèi tóngxué qīfu ma?Does he often get bullied by his classmates?
  • 他 是 打 的 ?Tā shì bèi shéi dǎ de?By whom he got beaten up?
  • 你 是不是 公司 炒鱿鱼 了 ?Nǐ shì bu shì bèi gōngsī chǎo yóuyú le?Did you get fired by the company or not?

被 Sentences with Aspect Particles

The particles 了 and 过 can both be used with 被 constructions, while 着 cannot. This is because the disposal of the object in 被 construction must be complete in some way in the context. 着 indicates s "onging," which is why it's not appropriate for a 被 construction.

Some examples:
Subject Object Verb Aspect particle
同学 欺负
你 的 手机 老师 拿走
我 的 车
他 男朋友

被 Sentences with Complements

Both Result complements and Direction complements work well in 被 sentences.

A few examples:

  • 花瓶 了 。Huāpíng bèi shuāi suì le.The vase was broken into pieces.
  • 那个人 车 撞 了 。Nàge rén bèi chē zhuàng le.That man got hit and killed by a car.
  • 那个 男人 警察 赶 出去 了 。Nàge nánrén bèi jǐngchá gǎn chūqù le.The man was kicked out by the policeman.
  • 孩子 他 父母 带 回去 了 。Háizi bèi tā fùmǔ dài huíqù le.The child was taken back by his parents.

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.

Some examples:
Subject Adv. Doer Verb Phrase
刚才 同学
我们 老师
你 的 手机
小偷 终于 抓住

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites