Using "bei" sentences

Level

B1 / HSK3
Level

B1
Level

HSK3
Similar to
Similar to
Used for

Sentence Patterns, Expressing passive voice
Keywords

被

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:

To indicate that one has been negatively affected. For example:
- 他被打了。Tā bèi dǎ le.He got beaten up.
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?
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:

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.
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	！

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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