One can explain 受 (shòu) in two ways, the first of which is as a
passive marker, converting the verb placed after it into the
passive. Here it plays a role very similar to 被. As in the first
example, something or someone can be placed between 受 and the verb,
受学生的欢迎.
受 as a passive marker
Structure
受 + ([Someone / Something]) + Verb
Examples
- 张老师的课 很 受 学生 的 欢迎。 Teacher Zhang's lessons are welcomed by the
students.
- 一个人 不一定 要 变得 很 有钱 或者 很 成功 才 会 受 人
尊重。People don't have to be rich or
successful to receive respect from other people.
- 中国 政府 受老百姓的批评。China's
government is rarely criticized by common people.
- 受 冷 空气 的 影响，今天 上海 特别 冷。Affected by the cold air, today Shanghai is especially
cold.
- 你 的 手机 昨晚 一直 打不通，我 想 应该 是 受 信号
干扰。I think your cell phone couldn't
get through last night because of the signal
interference.
It must be noted that if 被 is explained as a passive marker,
then in the above examples 欢迎， 尊重， 批评 and 尊重 must all be treated as
verbs rather than nouns, despite many of them appearing immediately
after 的.
An alternative way to explain 受, is as an active verb itself,
meaning 'to obtain' or 'to receive' when dealing with positive
aspects, or 'to suffer' when dealing with negative aspects. This
explanation may be more accessible to native English speakers.
However whichever grammatical explanation one uses, the meaning
essentially remains the same.
受 as a verb
Structure
受 + (到/过) + ([Something / Someone]) + Noun / Verb
Examples
- 张老师的课 受到 了 很多 学生 的 欢迎。Teacher Zhang's lessons "receive" many students'
welcome.
- 一个人 不一定 要 变得 很 有钱 或者 很 成功 才 会 受 人
尊重。People don't have to be rich or
successful to receive respect from other people.
- 受 冷 空气 的 影响，今天 上海 特别 冷。"Suffering" the cold air's effect, today Shanghai is
especially cold.
- 我 父母 都 没 受过 很好 的 教育。Neither of my parents has "received" any good
education.
- 我 在 美国 的 第一年 ， 受到 了 很多 朋友 的 帮助。The first year I was in the USA, I “received” a lot of help
from many friends.
- 因为 期末 考试 没 考 好，他 受到 了 老师 的 批评。He received the teacher's criticism because he didn't do
well in the final exam.
- 拐卖 孩子 的 人 应该 受到 法律 的 严惩。People who traffick kids should receive severe punishment
in law.
It must be noted that on the occasions when 受 is followed
immediately by 到 or 过，it is preferable to consider 受 as a verb.
See also
Sources and further
reading
Books
Dictionaries
Category:
B2 grammar points Category: Verbs