(bèi bǔ) - to be arrested in Mandarin
bèibǔTraditional: 被捕
Translation
to be arrested
Word origin
The passive marker 被 (bèi) fused to 逮捕 (dài bǔ, to arrest), leaving 捕 (bǔ, to catch) to carry the meaning.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 被 (bèi, passive marker) + 捕 (bǔ, to catch, to arrest)
Stroke order
被
捕
Examples
。
That man was arrested last night.
嫌。
Three suspects have already been arrested.
。
He was arrested for stealing.
句。
After being arrested he did not say a word.
。
The police say more people will be arrested.
被捕 (bèi bǔ) means to be arrested. The passive is baked into the word: 被 is the standard passive marker, so the subject of 被捕 is always the person taken into custody, never the police.
It is news and legal vocabulary. Headlines run 两人被捕 and reports run 他于昨日被捕. The active counterpart is 逮捕: 警方逮捕了他 is the police arrested him, and 他被捕了 is the same event from the other side.
Here is the trap. Because 被 is already inside the word, you cannot stack another one on top, and you cannot hang an agent off it either. 他被警察被捕 is wrong twice over. If you want to name who did the arresting, switch to the full construction: 他被警察逮捕了. Keep 被捕 for the bare fact that an arrest happened.
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被捕: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "被捕" (to be arrested): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 48.