[](http://amzn.to/2iioVRP)
[](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Main_Page)
- [Main
Page](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Main_Page)
- [Learner
FAQ](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Learner_FAQ)
- [Grammar
Points](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Grammar_points_by_level)
- [Chinese
Keywords](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Keywords)
- [Word
Translations](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Translations)
- [Textbook
Index](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_textbook_grammar_index)
- [Chinese
Forums](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Forums)
- [Acknowledgments](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Acknowledgments)
- [Contact
Us](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Contact)
[]( "wikilink")
Useful Pages
- [Reading
Tools](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Tools)
- [Recent
changes](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:RecentChanges)
- [Random
page](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:Random)
- [Help](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents)
- [Newsletter](http://resources.allsetlearning.com/)
- []( "wikilink")
Tools
-
[What links
here](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:WhatLinksHere/Using_%22bei%22_sentences)
-
[Related
changes](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Using_%22bei%22_sentences)
-
[Special
pages](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:SpecialPages)
-
[Printable
version](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/gramwiki/?title=Using_%22bei%22_sentences&printable=yes)
-
[Permanent
link](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/gramwiki/?title=Using_%22bei%22_sentences&oldid=42246)
-
[Page
information](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/gramwiki/?title=Using_%22bei%22_sentences&action=info)
[](http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1286538933)
[](# "wikilink")
Using "bei" sentences
=====================
[](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/ASGHF9F1)
-
Level
[B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points)
-
Similar to
- [Direction
complement](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Direction_complement) (B1)
- [Using "ba"
sentences](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Using_%22ba%22_sentences) (B1)
- [Advanced uses of
"ba"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Advanced_uses_of_%22ba%22) (B2)
- [Expressing passive voice with
"gei"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_passive_voice_with_%22gei%22) (B2)
- [Passive verbs with
"shou"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Passive_verbs_with_%22shou%22) (B2)
-
Used for
[Expressing passive
voice](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_passive_voice),
[Sentence
Patterns](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Sentence_Patterns)
-
Keywords
[被](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%A2%AB)
[{width="300"
height="300"}](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/File:Chinese-grammar-wiki-bei4.jpg)
Contents
--------
[hide]([# "wikilink")\]
- [1 What is a 被
sentence?](#What_is_a_.E8.A2.AB_sentence.3F "wikilink")
- [2 Why use
them?](#Why_use_them.3F "wikilink")
- [3 How to use
them](#How_to_use_them "wikilink")
- [3.1
Structure](#Structure "wikilink")
- [3.2
Examples](#Examples "wikilink")
- [3.3 Right
or Wrong](#Right_or_Wrong "wikilink")
- [4 Forming 把
Sentences](#Forming_.E6.8A.8A_Sentences "wikilink")
- [4.1
Negating 被
Sentences](#Negating_.E8.A2.AB_Sentences "wikilink")
- [4.2
Question Forms of 被
Sentences](#Question_Forms_of_.E8.A2.AB_Sentences "wikilink")
- [4.3 被
Sentences with Aspect
Particles](#.E8.A2.AB_Sentences_with_Aspect_Particles "wikilink")
- [4.4 被
Sentences with
Complements](#.E8.A2.AB_Sentences_with_Complements "wikilink")
- [4.5
Adverbs in 被
Sentences](#Adverbs_in_.E8.A2.AB_Sentences "wikilink")
- [5 See
also](#See_also "wikilink")
- [6 Sources and
further reading](#Sources_and_further_reading "wikilink")
- [6.1
Books](#Books "wikilink")
- [6.2
Websites](#Websites "wikilink")
- 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" omitted**Règǒu** *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:
- 他 *被* 打 了
。Tā *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:
- 你 *被* 公司 炒鱿鱼 了
？Nǐ *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 *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.
We're using the most basic 被 sentence pattern for example, so that it will be easier for you to understand well:
Structure
Subj. + 被 (+ Doer) + Verb + 了
### Examples
被 sentence with a doer:
- 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.
- 他 *被* **父母** 骂 **了** 。Tā *bèi* **fùmǔ**
mà **le**.He was scolded by his
parents.
被 sentence without doer:
- 我 的 车 *被* 撞 **了** 。Wǒ de chē *bèi*
zhuàng **le**.My car got hit.
- 他们 做 的 坏事 *被* 发现 **了** 。Tāmen zuò de
huàishì *bèi* fāxiàn **le**.The bad
things they've done were discovered.
- 文件 *被* 删 **了** 。Wénjiàn *bèi* shān
**le**.The files are deleted.
### Right or Wrong
- 咖啡 *被* 我 喝 。Kāfēi *bèi* wǒ
hē.The coffee was drank by me.
- 咖啡 *被* 我 喝 **了** 。Kāfēi *bèi* wǒ hē
**le**.The coffee was drank by me.
- 咖啡 *被* 我 喝 **完 了** 。Kāfēi *bèi* wǒ hē
**wán le**.The coffee was finished by
me.
- 他 *被* 打 。Tā *bèi*
dǎ.He got beaten up.
- 他 *被* 打 **了** 。Tā *bèi* dǎ
**le**.He got beaten up.
- 他 *被* 打 **伤 了** 。Tā *bèi* dǎ **shāng
le**.He got beaten up and he was
wounded.
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.
Doer *Negative* 被 Subject Verb Phrase
------------ ------------ ---- --------- ------------- ----
他 *没有* 被 打伤 。
他 *没* 被 炒鱿鱼 。
她 的 想法 *不* 被 父母 理解 。
: Some examples:
### 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:
- 那些 书 *被* 借 **走 了** 吗 ？Nàxiē shū *bèi*
jiè **zǒu le** ma?Are those books
borrowed?
- 他 *被* 谁 打 **的** ？Tā *bèi* shéi dǎ
**de**?Who did he get beat up by?
- 你 是不是 *被* 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 an action is
"ongoing," which is why it's not appropriate for a 被 construction.
Subject 被 Object Verb *Aspect particle*
---------- ---- -------- ------ ------------------- ----
他 被 老师 打 *过* 。
你 被 他 骗 *了* ！
我 的 车 被 撞 *过* 。
她 被 男朋友 甩 *了* 。
: Some examples:
### 被 Sentences with Complements
Both [Result
complements](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complement)
and [Direction
complements](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Direction_complement)
work well in 被 sentences.
Some examples:
- 花瓶 *被* 摔 **碎** 了 。Huāpíng *bèi* shuāi
**suì** le.The vase was broken into
pieces.
- 那个人 *被* 车 撞 **死** 了 。Nàge rén *bèi*
chē zhuàng **sǐ** le.That man got hit and
killed by a car.
- 那个 男人 *被* 警察 赶 **出去** 了 。Nàge
nánrén *bèi* jǐngchá gǎn **chūqù** le.The
man was kicked out by the policeman.
- 孩子 *被* 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.
Subject Adv. *被* Doer Verb Phrase
------------ ---------- ------ ------ ------------- ---- ----
他 **刚才** *被* 同学 打 了 。
我们 **都** *被* 老师 骂 了 。
你 的 手机 **又** *被* 偷 了 ？
小偷 **终于** *被* 抓住 了 ！
: Some examples:
See also
-------------------------------------------------------
- [Passive verbs with
"shou"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Passive_verbs_with_%22shou%22)
- [Ba
sentence](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Ba_sentence)
- [Result
complement](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complement)
- [Direction
complement](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Direction_complement)
Sources and further reading
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
### Books
- [A Practical Chinese Grammar For
Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95)) (pp.
470-7)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA)
- [Basic Patterns of Chinese
Grammar](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar) (pp.
55) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2ykU1OD)
- [Boya Chinese Elementary Starter
2 (博雅汉语初经起步篇)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Boya_Chinese_Elementary_Starter_2_(%E5%8D%9A%E9%9B%85%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%88%9D%E7%BB%8F%E8%B5%B7%E6%AD%A5%E7%AF%87)) (pp.
182)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7301078617/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7301078617)
- [Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second
Edition](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition) (pp.
164-6) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2h67UYa)
- [Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and
Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 -
初中级)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_Grammar_-_Broken_down_into_100_items_-_Basic_and_Intermediate_Levels_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%99%BE%E9%A1%B9%E8%AE%B2%E7%BB%83_-_%E5%88%9D%E4%B8%AD%E7%BA%A7)) (pp.
362-4) \[ →buy\]
- [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2
(3rd ed)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)) (pp.
243-4) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2femBuy)
- [Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference
Grammar](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Mandarin_Chinese:_A_Functional_Reference_Grammar) (pp.
492-508) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2yOtlXc)
- [Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical
Guide](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide) (pp.
100-7) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2xCpX2m)
- [New Practical Chinese Reader
2 (新实用汉语课本2)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC2)) (pp.
239-40)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561911297)
- [Short-term Spoken Chinese: Threshold Vol.
2 (汉语口语入门篇下)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Short-term_Spoken_Chinese:_Threshold_Vol._2_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%8F%A3%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%A5%E9%97%A8%E7%AF%87%E4%B8%8B)) (pp.
168-70) \[ →buy\]
- [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course
(基础汉语40课下册）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8B%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89) (pp.
428-9)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20)
### Websites
- ChinesePod (free content): [Qing Wen - Passive Verbs and
被](http://chinesepod.com/lessons/passive-verbs-and-%E8%A2%AB)
- East Asia Student: [Mandarin passive voice: grammar and
usage](http://eastasiastudent.net/2090/china/mandarin/cmn-grammar/passive-voice/)
[Category](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:Categories):
- [B1 grammar
points](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Category:B1_grammar_points)
[](http://amzn.to/2iioVRP)
Retrieved from
"