The Bei Construction: Passive Voice In Simplified Chinese

Learn how to use 被 bèi (by; passive marker) so you can say things like “my phone was stolen” or “I was praised” without turning your Chinese into mashed potatoes.

The 被 bèi construction is one of the main ways to make a passive sentence in simplified Chinese. It shows that the subject receives an action instead of doing it.

In plain English, that means sentences like “The cake was eaten,” “I was criticized,” or “My bag was left on the train.” The good news is the pattern is tidy. The slightly annoying news is that Chinese uses it a bit differently from English. Naturally.

Yak Snark Box

English loves passive voice in formal writing. Chinese uses 被 bèi too, but not for every passive sentence under the sun. If you force it everywhere, people will understand you, but they may also hear textbook fumes coming off the sentence.

What 被 Bèi Actually Does

被 bèi marks that something or someone is affected by an action.

Basic pattern: Subject + 被 bèi + doer + verb + rest

Example: 我被老师表扬了。Wǒ bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le. = I was praised by the teacher.

Here, 我 wǒ (I) receives the action. 老师 lǎoshī (teacher) does the action. 表扬 biǎoyáng means to praise.

The Main Patterns You Need

Pattern	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	English
Subject + 被 bèi + Doer + Verb	The subject is acted on	他被老板批评了。	Tā bèi lǎobǎn pīpíng le.	He was criticized by the boss.
Subject + 被 bèi + Verb	The doer is unknown or omitted	我的钱包被偷了。	Wǒ de qiánbāo bèi tōu le.	My wallet was stolen.
Subject + 被 bèi + Doer + Verb + Result	The action causes a result	门被风吹开了。	Mén bèi fēng chuī kāi le.	The door was blown open by the wind.
Subject + 被 bèi + Doer + 给 gěi + Verb	Colloquial spoken emphasis	我被他给骗了。	Wǒ bèi tā gěi piàn le.	I was tricked by him.

Rule One: Use 被 Bèi When The Subject Receives The Action

This is the core idea. The sentence focuses on the person or thing affected by what happened.

Example: 电脑被我弟弟弄坏了。Diànnǎo bèi wǒ dìdi nòng huài le. = The computer was broken by my younger brother.

Example: 她被大家误会了。Tā bèi dàjiā wùhuì le. = She was misunderstood by everyone.

Example: 这本书被很多人买了。Zhè běn shū bèi hěn duō rén mǎi le. = This book was bought by many people.

Rule Two: The Doer Can Be Included Or Omitted

If the doer matters, include it after 被 bèi. If it does not matter, or you do not know who did it, leave it out.

Doer Included

我的车被邻居撞了。Wǒ de chē bèi línjū zhuàng le. = My car was hit by the neighbor.

Doer Omitted

我的车被撞了。Wǒ de chē bèi zhuàng le. = My car was hit.

Both are correct. The second one is often more natural if the doer is obvious, unknown, or just not worth the drama.

Rule Three: 被 Bèi Often Appears With Unpleasant Events

Many beginner examples with 被 bèi are negative: stolen, criticized, cheated, broken, forgotten. That is because passive sentences in Chinese often highlight unwanted impact.

Example: 我被老板骂了。Wǒ bèi lǎobǎn mà le. = I was scolded by the boss.

Example: 她被人骗了。Tā bèi rén piàn le. = She was tricked.

Example: 行李被拿错了。Xíngli bèi ná cuò le. = The luggage was taken by mistake.

But 被 bèi is not only for bad things.

Example: 他被选为班长。Tā bèi xuǎn wéi bānzhǎng. = He was chosen as class monitor.

Example: 她被大家欢迎。Tā bèi dàjiā huānyíng. = She is welcomed by everyone.

Rule Four: 被 Bèi Usually Needs A Real Effect

Chinese often prefers 被 bèi when the action has a clear effect on the subject. That effect can be physical, emotional, or practical.

Natural: 我的手机被偷了。Wǒ de shǒujī bèi tōu le. = My phone was stolen.

Natural: 他被老师表扬了。Tā bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le. = He was praised by the teacher.

Less Natural In Daily Speech: 这首歌被我听了。Zhè shǒu gē bèi wǒ tīng le. = This song was listened to by me.

That last sentence is grammatically possible, but it sounds stiff in normal conversation. Chinese would usually say 我听了这首歌。Wǒ tīng le zhè shǒu gē. = I listened to this song.

Rule Five: 了 Le Often Shows The Completed Event

You will often see 了 le in 被 bèi sentences because the speaker is talking about something that already happened.

Example: 我被叫去了办公室。Wǒ bèi jiào qù le bàngōngshì. = I was called to the office.

Example: 蛋糕被孩子们吃完了。Dàngāo bèi háizimen chī wán le. = The cake was finished by the children.

Example: 他的名字被写错了。Tā de míngzi bèi xiě cuò le. = His name was written incorrectly.

Useful Patterns You Will See A Lot

Pattern	Use	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	English
被 bèi + 偷 tōu	to be stolen	自行车被偷了。	Zìxíngchē bèi tōu le.	The bicycle was stolen.
被 bèi + 骂 mà	to be scolded	他又被骂了。	Tā yòu bèi mà le.	He got scolded again.
被 bèi + 发现 fāxiàn	to be discovered	错误被发现了。	Cuòwù bèi fāxiàn le.	The mistake was discovered.
被 bèi + 选为 xuǎn wéi	to be chosen as	她被选为代表。	Tā bèi xuǎn wéi dàibiǎo.	She was chosen as the representative.
被 bèi + 忘 wàng	to be forgotten	我的名字被忘了。	Wǒ de míngzi bèi wàng le.	My name was forgotten.
被 bèi + 弄丢 nòng diū	to be lost by someone	文件被弄丢了。	Wénjiàn bèi nòng diū le.	The document was lost.

Real-Life Sentence Models

我的手机被别人拿走了。Wǒ de shǒujī bèi biérén ná zǒu le. = My phone was taken by someone else.
他被公司派到北京工作。Tā bèi gōngsī pài dào Běijīng gōngzuò. = He was sent by the company to work in Beijing.
我被朋友拉进了一个群。Wǒ bèi péngyou lā jìn le yí ge qún. = I was added to a group by a friend.
这件事被大家知道了。Zhè jiàn shì bèi dàjiā zhīdào le. = This matter became known to everyone.
门被孩子关上了。Mén bèi háizi guān shàng le. = The door was closed by the child.
杯子被猫打碎了。Bēizi bèi māo dǎ suì le. = The cup was smashed by the cat.
我被这个消息吓到了。Wǒ bèi zhège xiāoxi xià dào le. = I was shocked by this news.
她被老师叫去回答问题。Tā bèi lǎoshī jiào qù huídá wèntí. = She was called on by the teacher to answer a question.
我的座位被别人占了。Wǒ de zuòwèi bèi biérén zhàn le. = My seat was taken by someone else.
他昨天被雨淋湿了。Tā zuótiān bèi yǔ lín shī le. = He got soaked by the rain yesterday.

How 被 Bèi Differs From English Passive Voice

English can turn almost anything into a passive sentence. Chinese is pickier.

English: “The letter was written by Mary.”
Chinese might say: 玛丽写了这封信。Mǎlì xiě le zhè fēng xìn. = Mary wrote this letter.

Why? Because Chinese often prefers the active voice unless the passive meaning matters more than the doer.

Use 被 bèi when you want to highlight the effect on the subject, especially when the event feels important, surprising, annoying, or result-heavy.

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

Mistake	Problem	Better Sentence	Pinyin	English
我被喜欢他。	被 bèi cannot be dropped in front of a random verb like that	我喜欢他。	Wǒ xǐhuan tā.	I like him.
这本书被我看了。	Too stiff for daily speech	我看了这本书。	Wǒ kàn le zhè běn shū.	I read this book.
他被表扬老师了。	The doer and verb order is wrong	他被老师表扬了。	Tā bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le.	He was praised by the teacher.
钱包被了偷。	了 le is in the wrong place	钱包被偷了。	Qiánbāo bèi tōu le.	The wallet was stolen.
我被昨天骂了。	Time words usually go before the verb phrase or near the subject	我昨天被骂了。	Wǒ zuótiān bèi mà le.	I was scolded yesterday.

Practice: Change These Into 被 Bèi Sentences

小王打坏了我的杯子。Xiǎo Wáng dǎ huài le wǒ de bēizi. = Xiao Wang broke my cup.
别人拿走了我的外套。Biérén ná zǒu le wǒ de wàitào. = Someone took my coat.
老师表扬了她。Lǎoshī biǎoyáng le tā. = The teacher praised her.
风吹开了窗户。Fēng chuī kāi le chuānghu. = The wind blew the window open.

Check The Answers

我的杯子被小王打坏了。Wǒ de bēizi bèi Xiǎo Wáng dǎ huài le. = My cup was broken by Xiao Wang.
我的外套被别人拿走了。Wǒ de wàitào bèi biérén ná zǒu le. = My coat was taken by someone else.
她被老师表扬了。Tā bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le. = She was praised by the teacher.
窗户被风吹开了。Chuānghu bèi fēng chuī kāi le. = The window was blown open by the wind.

Quick Reference Summary

被 bèi makes a passive sentence.
Main pattern: Subject + 被 bèi + doer + verb + rest.
The doer can be omitted: 手机被偷了。Shǒujī bèi tōu le. = The phone was stolen.
被 bèi often appears with negative or high-impact events.
Do not use passive voice everywhere just because English does.
If the active sentence sounds simpler and more natural, Chinese usually prefers it.

Final Yak Box

If you remember just one thing, remember this: 被 bèi is not a machine that converts every English passive sentence into Chinese. Use it when the subject is clearly affected and that effect matters. That is when your Chinese starts sounding natural instead of aggressively translated.