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Level Advanced Chinese · HSK 5–6

Passives in Full: 被, 叫, 让, 给, 为…所 and 遭到 / 受到

English uses the passive constantly and neutrally. Chinese uses it far less, and traditionally for things that happen to someone against their will. Many English passives are best translated as active sentences or with a topic: 'The letter has been sent' is 信已经发了, with no passive marker at all. When Chinese does mark the passive, it chooses among several words by register and meaning.

Choosing the passive marker

被 (bèi) is neutral and can drop the agent: 他被批评了. 叫 (jiào) and 让 (ràng) are spoken and always need an agent (叫人偷了, never 叫偷了). 给 (gěi) is spoken and, like 被, can drop the agent: 钱包给偷了.

为…所 (wéi … suǒ) and 被…所 are written: 为人们所熟悉 (be familiar to people). The verb after 所 is usually two syllables, and nothing follows it: no 了, no result complement.

MarkerRegisterAgent optional?Example
被neutralyes被偷了
叫 / 让spokenno叫人偷了
给spokenyes给偷了
为…所writtenno为人们所接受

  • 这种观点已经为大多数人所接受。

    Zhè zhǒng guāndiǎn yǐjīng wéi dàduōshù rén suǒ jiēshòu.

    This view has been accepted by most people.

  • 他的作品深受读者喜爱，被许多人所熟知。

    Tā de zuòpǐn shēn shòu dúzhě xǐ'ài, bèi xǔduō rén suǒ shúzhī.

    His work is much loved by readers and widely known.

遭, 遭到, 受到 and 挨

Some verbs build the passive meaning in. They take a noun (often a verb used as a noun) as their object.

受到 (shòudào) is neutral and can be positive or negative: 受到欢迎 (be welcomed), 受到批评 (be criticised). 遭到 (zāodào) and 遭 are negative and formal: 遭到拒绝 (be refused), 遭受损失 (suffer losses). 挨 (ái) is colloquial and negative: 挨打 (get hit), 挨骂 (get told off).

  • 这个建议受到了大家的欢迎。

    Zhège jiànyì shòudàole dàjiā de huānyíng.

    The suggestion was welcomed by everyone.

  • 他的申请遭到了拒绝。

    Tā de shēnqǐng zāodàole jùjué.

    His application was rejected.

  • 小时候我经常挨骂。

    Xiǎo shíhou wǒ jīngcháng ái mà.

    I used to get told off a lot when I was little.

Common mistakes

  • ✗这本书被写在1990年。

    ✓这本书是1990年写的。

    Zhè běn shū shì yī jiǔ jiǔ líng nián xiě de.

    Neutral English passives are usually not 被 sentences in Chinese. Use 是…的 or an active sentence.

  • ✗他遭到了表扬。

    ✓他受到了表扬。

    Tā shòudàole biǎoyáng.

    遭到 is only for bad things. For praise or a welcome, use 受到.

  • ✗这个方法为大家所接受了。

    ✓这个方法为大家所接受。

    Zhège fāngfǎ wéi dàjiā suǒ jiēshòu.

    Nothing follows the verb in 为…所: no 了 or complement.

Questions learners ask

Is 为 in 为…所 read wèi?

No: in the passive it is wéi. wèi is 'for, for the sake of'.

Can 被 be used for good news now?

Yes. Modern Chinese, partly under English influence, uses 被 more widely (被选为, be elected), but the unwelcome meaning is still the default.

Practice this in lessons

The Advanced Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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