Intermediate · Approx. HSK 4 · 15–18 min
The 被 Sentence — Passive Voice“被”字句：被动表达
Learn to express what happened to someone or something . The 被 sentence shifts attention to the receiver of an action; it can describe good or bad events.
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杯子被我打破了。
Bēizi bèi wǒ dǎpò le.
The cup was broken by me.
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01 · Main pattern 02 · More uses 03 · Compare 04 · Common mistakes 05 · Quiz 06 · Build sentences 07 · Speak 01
Put the affected person or thing first In a basic passive sentence, start with the person or thing affected, add 被 (bèi) , then the doer (if known) and an action, often with its result.
Cup
杯子被我打破了。
Bēizi bèi wǒ dǎpò le.
The cup was broken by me.
Phone
我的手机被弟弟拿走了。
Wǒ de shǒujī bèi dìdi názǒu le.
My younger brother took my phone away.
Wind
窗户被风吹开了。
Chuānghu bèi fēng chuīkāi le.
The window was blown open by the wind.
Cake
蛋糕被大家吃完了。
Dàngāo bèi dàjiā chīwán le.
The cake was eaten up by everyone.
💡 A 被 sentence often includes what happened as a result , such as 打破 (break), 拿走 (take away), 吹开 (blow open), or 吃完 (finish eating).
02
The doer can be omitted—and 被 is not always negative If the doer is unknown or unimportant, you can omit it: 自行车被偷了 . 被 also describes positive outcomes, such as praise.
Unknown doer
我的自行车被偷了。
Wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi tōu le.
My bicycle was stolen.
Praise
他被老师表扬了。
Tā bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le.
He was praised by the teacher.
Mistake
我的名字被写错了。
Wǒ de míngzi bèi xiěcuò le.
My name was written incorrectly.
Invitation
我被朋友邀请了。
Wǒ bèi péngyou yāoqǐng le.
I was invited by a friend.
💡 被 can have an unfortunate nuance in some contexts, but it is not limited to bad things : 被老师表扬了 is positive.
03
Active vs. passive: same event The action is the same; the grammatical focus changes.
Active · who acted
我打破了杯子。
Wǒ dǎpò le bēizi.
I broke the cup.
Passive · what was affected
杯子被我打破了。
Bēizi bèi wǒ dǎpò le.
The cup was broken by me.
Active
弟弟拿走了我的手机。
Dìdi názǒu le wǒ de shǒujī.
My younger brother took my phone away.
Passive
我的手机被弟弟拿走了。
Wǒ de shǒujī bèi dìdi názǒu le.
My phone was taken away by my younger brother.
04
Common mistakes to avoid ✗ Missing affected event/result
杯子被破了。
Bēizi bèi pò le.
Not the natural pattern for “The cup was broken.”
✓ Use a verb describing the action
杯子被打破了。
Bēizi bèi dǎpò le.
The cup was broken.
✗ Doer misplaced
被弟弟我的手机拿走了。
Bèi dìdi wǒ de shǒujī názǒu le.
The affected item should be the subject in this pattern.
✓ Affected item first
我的手机被弟弟拿走了。
Wǒ de shǒujī bèi dìdi názǒu le.
My phone was taken away by my brother.
05
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07
Speak like a real person! Retell events from the point of view of the thing or person affected.
Describe something that was lost or stolen. Describe an item that was broken. Say who was praised or invited. Rewrite an active sentence as a 被 sentence. Show sample answers ↓ Lost item
我的包被拿走了。
Wǒ de bāo bèi názǒu le.
My bag was taken away.
Broken cup
杯子被打破了。
Bēizi bèi dǎpò le.
The cup was broken.
Praise
他被老师表扬了。
Tā bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le.
He was praised by the teacher.
Wind
窗户被风吹开了。
Chuānghu bèi fēng chuīkāi le.
The window was blown open by the wind.
Takeaway 🌸 Affected item + 被 (+ doer) + action + result 杯子被我打破了。
Bēizi bèi wǒ dǎpò le.
The cup was broken by me.
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