(bèi) - by (passive marker) in Mandarin

bèi

Traditional: 被

HSK 3

#59 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

by (passive marker)

Word origin

被 is a phono-semantic compound: the clothing radical 衤indicates its original meaning of a quilt or covering, while 皮 (pí) supplies the sound. It was later borrowed to mark the passive voice.

Origin: phono-semantic compound
Root: 衤(clothing radical) + 皮 (pí, phonetic)

Stroke order

被

Examples

顿dùn。

He was told off by his boss.

。

The wallet was stolen by someone.

。

This song is liked by many people.

。

The cup was broken by my younger brother.

。

He was called to the office by the teacher.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Used in

Grammar articles

(7)

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Mandarin · Free printables

被: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "被" (by (passive marker)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 2.