被
Pattern
Affected noun + 被 + agent + verb phrase
Key words
Core idea
被 marks a passive sentence. The affected person or thing comes first, then 被 introduces who or what caused the action.
The pattern is:
affected noun + 被 + agent + verb phraseUsage boundary
At this level, 被 often appears when something unwanted, surprising, or noticeable happens to the affected noun.
The sentence still needs a full verb phrase after the agent. 被 does not replace the action.
Compare with ba
把 foregrounds what someone does to an object. 被 foregrounds what happens to the affected object or person.
Examples
我的手机被弟弟弄坏了。
Wǒ de shǒujī bèi dìdi nònghuài le.
My phone was broken by my younger brother.
门被风吹开了。
Mén bèi fēng chuīkāi le.
The door was blown open by the wind.
他的钱包被人拿走了。
Tā de qiánbāo bèi rén názǒu le.
His wallet was taken by someone.
Common mistakes
Avoid
我的手机被弟弟。
Use
我的手机被弟弟弄坏了。
被 introduces the agent, but the sentence still needs a verb phrase showing what happened.
Seen in stories
The Borrowed Bicycle
刚到门口，车就被社团同学借走了。
As soon as he reaches the gate, the bicycle is borrowed away by a clubmate.
The Borrowed Bicycle
同学说宣传海报太重，手推车又被别人占用了。
The classmate says the posters are too heavy and the handcart has been taken by someone else.
The Borrowed Bicycle
十分钟后，自行车被送到操场旁边。
Ten minutes later, the bicycle is delivered beside the sports field.
The Borrowed Bicycle
篮球队又说水箱搬不动，车篮子被用来装冰水。
The basketball team then says the water container cannot be carried, so the bike basket is used to hold ice water.
The Borrowed Bicycle
后来，自行车被食堂师傅推回来，车铃还被擦亮了。
Later, the bicycle is pushed back by a cafeteria worker, and the bell has even been polished.
Show 19 more story examples
The Borrowed Bicycle
后来，自行车被食堂师傅推回来，车铃还被擦亮了。
Later, the bicycle is pushed back by a cafeteria worker, and the bell has even been polished.
The Borrowed Bicycle
林然只提了一个条件：下次水先被买回来。
Lin Ran offers only one condition: next time, the water must be bought back first.
The Comment We Could Not Delete
那条评论后来没有被删，反而被放进培训材料。
That comment is not deleted later; instead, it is put into training materials.
The Door That Closed Itself
她把纸条贴在门缝边，纸条立刻被吹得直发抖。
She tapes the paper strip beside the door crack, and it is immediately blown so it trembles.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
馆长笑着说，故事一旦被认真看见，博物馆就会亮起来。
The curator smiles and says once stories are truly noticed, a museum lights up.
The Four-Word Toast
小何被临时推上台，要说一句祝酒词。
Xiao He is pushed onto the stage at the last minute and has to say a toast.
The Midnight Sign-Off
那封信后来被读出来，他才觉得学校里还有人懂他。
That letter was later read aloud, and only then did he feel someone at school still understood him.
The Umbrella That Was Returned
老板一看就笑了，因为这把伞三个月前被客人拿走了。
The owner laughs as soon as he sees it, because the umbrella was taken by a customer three months ago.
The Umbrella That Was Returned
伞面被人补了一块绿色布，边边还多了一排小针脚。
The umbrella canopy has been patched with a piece of green cloth, and a row of little stitches has been added along the edge.
The Umbrella That Was Returned
伞柄被贴上一张空白贴纸，贴纸上没有名字。
A blank sticker has been placed on the handle, but there is no name on it.
The Umbrella That Was Returned
隔壁阿姨认出来，说这把伞也曾经被邮差借去送信。
The auntie next door recognizes it and says the umbrella was once borrowed by the mail carrier to deliver letters.
The Umbrella That Was Returned
管理员也说，它被小朋友拿去挡过一场很大的雨。
The manager also says it was taken by children to block a very heavy rain.
The Umbrella That Was Returned
照片里，伞被不同的人举着，每个人都在同一场雨里笑。
In the photo, the umbrella is being held by different people, and everyone is smiling in the same rain.
The Umbrella That Was Returned
老板把伞放回门口，说它不是被还回来，是终于回家了。
The owner puts the umbrella back by the door and says it was not merely returned; it finally came home.
Apartment Water Leak
地板被水弄湿了。
The floor was made wet by the water.
The Accidental Livestream
赵明原以为自己免不了被批评，结果大家只是让他请奶茶。
Zhao Ming had assumed he was bound to be criticized, but in the end everyone only made him buy milk tea.
The Rooftop Key
里长原本只是来提醒大家收花盆，没想到也被留下来开会。
The borough chief had only come to remind everyone to bring in flowerpots, but unexpectedly was kept for a meeting too.
The Rooftop Key
如果门锁被风吹坏，对整栋楼都有危险。
If the door lock were damaged by the wind, the whole building would be at risk.
The Rooftop Key
原来外送员怕便当被雨淋，就把袋子挂高一点，顺手也把钥匙挂上去了。
It turned out the delivery rider was afraid the bento would get wet, so he hung the bag higher and casually hung the key up too.