被字句
HSK 3- Passive (把/被)
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
The 被 sentence is used to express an action in which the subject is the recipient of the action, similar to the passive voice structure in Vietnamese.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
The 被 (bèi) sentence is used to express a passive structure, similar to "bị" or "được" in Vietnamese. The subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action, not the one performing it.
The agent (the one causing the action) comes after 被. If the agent is unclear or unimportant, it can be omitted. Example: 我的钱包被偷了 (My wallet was stolen).
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 我的蛋糕被弟弟吃了。Wǒ de dàngāo bèi dìdi chī le.
My cake was eaten by my younger brother.
- 他的手机被摔坏了。繁: 他的手機被摔壞了。Tā de shǒujī bèi shuāi huài le.
His phone was dropped and broken.
- 窗户被风吹破了。繁: 窗戶被風吹破了。Chuānghu bèi fēng chuī pò le.
The window was blown broken by the wind.
- 那本书被他借走了。繁: 那本書被他借走了。Nà běn shū bèi tā jiè zǒu le.
That book was borrowed by him.
- 我的作业被老师批评了。繁: 我的作業被老師批評了。Wǒ de zuòyè bèi lǎoshī pīpíng le.
My homework was criticized by the teacher.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:我的钱包偷了。Correct:我的钱包被偷了。
To express the meaning of "being" done something by someone, you must use the preposition 被 before the verb.
- Wrong:被他我的书借走了。Correct:我的书被他借走了。
The subject (the object being acted upon) must stand at the beginning of the sentence, before 被.