Meaning
被 is most commonly used as a passive voice marker in Mandarin, indicating that the subject receives the action rather than performs it. As a noun, it means 'quilt' or 'blanket'. The passive construction 被 + agent + verb shows who performs the action on the subject.
Usage
The passive 被 is often used when something undesirable happens to the subject, though this isn't always the case in modern usage. It can be used with or without explicitly stating the agent. In formal writing and speech, 被 passives are more common than in casual conversation, where topic-comment structures often replace them.
Examples
- 01我的自行车被偷了。.My bicycle was stolen.
- 02这个问题已经被解决了。.This problem has already been solved.
Measure words
- 床一床被
Common collocations
- 被动passive
- 被迫to be forced to
- 被子quilt; blanket
- 被告defendant
Origin
The character 被 originally depicted a blanket or covering garment. The passive grammatical usage developed from the notion of being 'covered by' or 'affected by' an action.