In this HSK 3 video lesson we'll learn about 被字句 (bèizìjù ▸ The 被 Sentences), compare 被字句 with 把字句, and learn about 被 vs. 叫/让. And we'll also learn how and when to use a 被字句,

被字句 (bèizìjù ▸ The 被 Sentences)
被字句 and 把字句
被 vs. 叫/让
When to use 被字句

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GRAMMAR

Grammar 1. 被字句

Bèizìjù ▸ The 被 Sentences

When we say a 被字句 in Chinese, we follow this structure:

A 被 B + Verb

*the one that receives the action*		*the one that performs the action*	*action*
Wǒ de qiánbāo 我的钱包 My wallet	bèi 被 “by”	xiǎotōu 小偷 (the) thief	tōu le 偷了 (was) stolen	. 。 .
Subject	Prep.	Prepositional Object	Verb Predicate
Subject	Adverbial		Verb Predicate

Below are more example sentences:

Wǒ de qiánbāo bèi xiǎotōu tōu le.
我的钱包被小偷偷了。
My wallet (-) “by” (the) thief (-) (was) stolen.
Píjiǔ bèi Lǎo Mǎ hē wán le.
啤酒被老马喝完了。
(The) beef (-) “by” Old Ma (-) (has been) finish-drinking.
Nà ge shūbāo bèi biérén mǎi le.
那个书包被别人买了。
That “ge” (of) school-bag (-) “by” other people (-) (has been) bought.

Sometimes in a 被字句, the one that performs the action (the Prepositional Object after 被) can be omitted, however 被 can never be omitted. In this case we follow this structure:

A 被 + Verb

*the one that receives the action*	*被字句 Indicator*	*action*
Wǒ de qiánbāo 我的钱包 My wallet	bèi 被 “by”	tōu le 偷了 (was) stolen	. 。 .
Subject	Prep.	Verb Predicate

So we can also say:

Wǒ de qiánbāo bèi tōu le.
我的钱包被偷了。
My wallet (-) (was) stolen.

Below are more example sentences that show how "the Prepositional Object after 被" can be omitted:

Zhè jiàn shìqing bèi (dàjiā) fāxiàn le ma?
这件事情被大家发现了吗？
(Has) this “jian” (of) thing (-) “by” everyone (-) (been) found-out?
Zhè jiàn shìqing bèi fāxiàn le ma?
这件事情被发现了吗？
(Has) this “jian” (of) thing “by” (been) found-out?

Wǒ gěi nǐ jì de lǐwù bèi tāmen sòng cuò le.
我给你寄的礼物被他们送错了。
(The) gift (that) I send you (-) “by” them (-) (has been) delivered-mistakenly.
Wǒ gěi nǐ jì de lǐwù bèi sòng cuò le.
我给你寄的礼物被送错了。
(The) gift (that) I send you (has been) delivered-mistakenly.

Grammar 2. 被字句和把字句

Bèizìjù hé Bǎzìjù▸ The 被 Sentences and The 把 Sentences

We have learned 把字句 (Bǎzìjù ▸ The 把 Sentences) before.

A 把字句 can be converted into a 被字句, and a 被字句 can also be converted into a 把字句. And in both cases, the conversion does not change the general meaning of the sentence.

For example.

把字句
Jǐngchá bǎ lǎo rén sòng jin le yīyuàn.
警察把老人送进了医院。
(The) policeman (-) “ba{indicating the handling of}” (the) old-man (-) send-(with the result of)-entering (the) hospital.
被字句
Lǎo rén bèi jǐngchá sòng jin le yīyuàn.
老人被警察送进了医院。
(The) old-man (was) send-(with the result of)-entering (the) hospital “by” (the) policeman.

把字句
Gēge bǎ nà pǐ mǎ qí zǒu le.
哥哥把那匹马骑走了。
(The) big brother (-) “ba{indicating the handling of}” that “pi” (of) horse (-) rode-away.
被字句
Nà pǐ mǎ bèi gēge qí zǒu le.
那匹马被哥哥骑走了。
That “pi” (of) horse (has been) ridden-away “by” (the) big brother.

Grammar 3. 被 vs. 叫/让

Grammar 4. When To Use A 被字句

The following sentences are all 主题评论句 (Zhǔtí Pínglùn Jù ▸ Topic-Comment Sentences) that have a 受事主语 (Shòushì Zhǔyǔ ▸ Subject that receives an action):

☑ See also 主题评论句 1; 主题评论句 2.

Dàngāo wǒ dài lai le.
蛋糕我带来了。
Cake (-) I brought-coming-(towards-here).
Chá pào hǎo le.
茶泡好了。
Tea (has been) soaked(/made)-well.
Zhàopiàn hé shìpín dōu pāi le.
照片和视频都拍了。
Photos and videos (have) all (been) taken.

But none of the above sentences are 被字句, because 被字句 is used when certain information needs to be highlighted. Let's look at the structure of a 被字句 again:

*the one that receives the action*		*the one that performs the action* (can be omitted sometimes)	*action*
A	被	( B )	Verb.	。
Subject	Prep.	Prepositional Object	Verb Predicate
Subject	Adverbial		Verb Predicate

被字句 highlights the following information:

an action has been performed to the Subject
the one that performs the action is responsible for the change or the result
- but it can be omitted when it’s not important or unknown
a change has happened because of the action, or a result has been caused by the action
the change or result is usually (although not always) unpleasant or damaging

For example,

主题评论句
Píjiǔ yǐjīng hē wán le.
啤酒已经喝完了。← more neutral; an objective fact
(The) beer (has) already (been) finished-drinking.
被字句
Píjiǔ yǐjīng bèi hē wán le.
啤酒已经被喝完了。← the speaker probably does not like the fact that all the beer has been drunk
(The) beer (has) already (been) finished-drinking.

主题评论句
Píjiǔ tā hē wán le.
啤酒他喝完了。← more neutral; an objective fact
(The) beer (-) he (has) already finished-drinking.
被字句
Píjiǔ bèi tā hē wán le.
啤酒被他喝完了。← unpleasant fact; seemingly "他(he)" is to blame
(The) beer (has) already (been) finished-drinking “by” him.