Passive Voice in Chinese with 被 bèi

by | Apr 21, 2021 | Chinese Grammar

Ace your HSK exam!

This week, let’s learn one of the most common structures in Chinese: the 被 bèi structure.

The bèi structure is:
O + 被+ S + V (+ result/change)

So the main difference from the regular Chinese sentence structure (S+V+O) is that you place the Objects before the Subject.

咖啡 (O) + 被 + 我 (S) + 喝 (V) + 完了 (Result/Change)
Kāfēi bèi wǒ hē wán le.
The coffee was finished by me


When to use it?

In fact, Chinese people use the bèi structure when they talk about something they don’t want to happen.

 父母骂了他
Fùmǔ màle tā
Parents scolded him

OR

他被父母骂了
Tā bèi fùmǔ mà le
He was scolded by his parents

This structure resembles a passive voice in English. That might help you remember it.

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