HSK 3 grammar · pattern
被
被 — the passive marker
Pattern
+ + + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
被 marks the passive: the subject is the one acted upon, and the doer (optional) comes after 被. Like the 把 construction, the verb usually needs an extra element rather than standing alone. In everyday Chinese 被 often carries an unwanted or unlucky nuance.
Examples
我的自行车被偷了。
Wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi tōu le.
My bicycle was stolen.
杯子被弟弟打破了。
Bēizi bèi dìdi dǎ pò le.
The cup was broken by (my) younger brother.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 被 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.