noun HSK 4
bèi
passive sentence · passive construction with 被

Meaning

A grammatical term referring to Chinese passive voice sentences that use the character 被 (bèi) to indicate the subject receives the action rather than performs it. In a 被字句, the logical object becomes the grammatical subject, and 被 introduces the agent (doer) of the action.

Usage

This is a linguistic/grammatical term used primarily in Chinese language teaching and grammar books. Native speakers naturally use passive constructions but rarely use this metalinguistic term in everyday conversation. It's essential for learners to understand this structure as it differs significantly from active sentences.

Examples

  1. 01
    老师今天教我们怎么用被字句
    Lǎo shī jīn tiān jiāo men zěn me yòng bèi .
    The teacher taught us how to use passive sentences today.
  2. 02
    被字句是汉语语法中比较难的一个部分。
    Bèi shì Hàn zhōng jiào nán de fèn.
    Passive sentences are a relatively difficult part of Chinese grammar.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一个被字句
  • zhǒng这种被字句

Common collocations

  • 学习被字句
    xué bèi
    to study passive sentences
  • 被字句的结构
    bèi de jié gòu
    the structure of passive sentences
  • 被字句的用法
    bèi de yòng
    the usage of passive sentences

Antonyms

Origin

A compound grammatical term literally meaning 'the 被-character sentence.' It's formed by combining 被 (the passive marker), 字 (character/word), and 句 (sentence) to describe this specific sentence pattern.

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