被字句 (bèi sentence) — 被 bèi sentences — the passive construction

被 marks the passive: the subject receives the action (compare 把, where the subject does it). 我的车被开走了 = "My car was driven away." Chinese passives mostly describe unhappy events — damage, loss, mistakes — though neutral/positive use is growing. The doer after 被 is optional. Colloquially 叫 (jiào) and 让 (ràng) replace 被. The verb, like in 把 sentences, cannot be bare: it needs a result complement or 了.

sentence-patternHSK 4Difficulty 70

Where it goes

Object-Subject + 被 (+ Doer) + Verb + Complement/了

What it does

01Shifts focus to the receiver of an action
02Typically used for adverse events (theft, damage, blame)
03Doer can be omitted when unknown or unimportant

Common learner errors

⚠Bare verb: 他被打了 vs ungrammatical 他被打 for completed events — always add a complement or 了
⚠Overusing 被 for neutral English-style passives: "The novel was written in 1990" is better as 这本小说是1990年写的, not 被写
⚠Confusing 被 with 把 — they are mirror images: 猫把鱼吃了 / 鱼被猫吃了

Coming soon · Social Meaning Coach

Literal meaning is only half the story. When your boss says 「这个事情你再想想」 — is it advice, or an order?

Free during early access · No card required

Grammar explanations on Chinese365 are self-authored and reference the structured Knowledge Base that every other tool also reads from. If you find a mistake, please email us.

被字句 (bèi sentence) — 被 bèi sentences — the passive construction