被 bèi

HSK 3 word

Meanings

quilt
to cover (with)
(literary) to suffer (a misfortune)
used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, if the doer is not mentioned, before the verb)
(since c. 2009) (sarcastic or jocular) used to indicate that the following word should be regarded as being in air quotes (as in 被旅游 to "go on a trip")

Characters

被 bèi: quilt

Grammar: Passive sentences with 被

Receiver + 被 + (Doer) + Verb + Result

被 turns a sentence around so that it starts with the thing the action happens to, like the English passive "was eaten". The doer comes right after 被 and can be left out. The verb rarely stands alone: it usually ends with 了 or a result (踢开, 吃了一半). 被 is most common for things that are done to someone against their will or that turn out badly.

Example sentences

他被选为市长。
He was elected mayor of the city.
Tatoeba #332862 by fucongcong (CC BY 2.0 FR)

门被踢开了。
The door was kicked open.
Tatoeba #5581800 by verdastelo9604 (CC BY 2.0 FR)

你被人爱着。
You are loved.
Tatoeba #7781517 by jiangche (CC BY 2.0 FR)

Meanings and readings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0).