What is 被动句 in Chinese grammar?

被动句 (bèidòng jù) is the Chinese passive sentence pattern. It uses markers like 被 (bèi), 叫 (jiào), or 让 (ràng) to indicate that the subject is the receiver of the action, not the doer. The basic structure is: Subject (patient) + 被/叫/让 + Agent + Verb + Result/Complement. For example, 杯子被弟弟摔坏了 means 'The cup was broken by little brother.'

What is the difference between 被, 叫, and 让 in Chinese passive sentences?

被 (bèi) is the most formal and widely used passive marker, suitable for both written and spoken Chinese. 叫 (jiào) is more colloquial and typically implies the result is undesirable or unexpected. 让 (ràng) is also colloquial and more neutral than 叫, but can sometimes be confused with its causative meaning ('to let/allow'). All three follow the same structure: Subject + 被/叫/让 + Agent + Verb + Complement.

When should I use passive sentences in Chinese?

Use Chinese passive sentences when: (1) you want to emphasize the receiver of the action rather than the doer, (2) the result is undesirable or unexpected (especially with 叫 and 让), (3) the agent is unknown or unimportant (被 can omit the agent: 钱包被偷了). Unlike English, Chinese passive sentences almost always require a result complement or aspect marker after the verb — the verb cannot stand alone.

HSK 4 Grammar

HSK 4 被动句 — Passive Sentences

Master the Chinese passive construction with 被, 叫, and 让 across HSK 3-5. Interactive converter, error correction, and comprehensive quizzes.

Markers (被/叫/让)

HSK Levels

30+

Exercises

HSK Level Progression / 等级递进

HSK 3

被 + Agent + V + other

HSK 4

叫/让 + Agent + V + other

HSK 5

被/叫/让 + Agent + 给 + V + other

HSK 3 — Foundation: 被 Passive

① S + 被 + Agent + V + result/complement → 杯子被弟弟摔坏了。
② S + 被 + V + result (agent omitted) → 钱包被偷了。

At HSK 3, only 被 is introduced. The agent can be omitted when unknown or unimportant.

HSK 4 — New Markers: 叫 and 让 (This Page)

③ S + 叫 + Agent + V + other → 我的自行车叫人骑走了。
④ S + 让 + Agent + V + other → 那本书让同学借走了。

叫 and 让 are more colloquial than 被. 叫 often implies undesirable outcomes; 让 is more neutral.

HSK 5 — Advanced: 给 Reinforcement

⑤ S + 被/叫/让 + Agent + 给 + V + other → 花瓶被猫给打碎了。
⑥ S + 叫/让 + Agent + 给 + V + other → 蛋糕让孩子给吃光了。

Adding 给 before the verb adds emphasis and a colloquial tone. It reinforces the passive meaning.

Sentence Anatomy / 句子解剖

杯子被弟弟摔坏了

Subject (patient) 受事

被/叫/让

Agent 施事者

Verb 动词

Result 补语

Subject_(patient) + 被/叫/让 + Agent + Verb + Result / Complement

HSK 3 Review — 被 Passive Foundation (已学) ▶

HSK3-1 S + 被 + Agent + V + result

杯子被弟弟摔坏了。

Bēizi bèi dìdi shuāi huài le.

The cup was broken by little brother.

我的手机被他拿走了。

Wǒ de shǒujī bèi tā ná zǒu le.

My phone was taken away by him.

HSK3-2 S + 被 + V + result (agent omitted)

钱包被偷了。

Qiánbāo bèi tōu le.

The wallet was stolen.

窗户被打破了。

Chuānghù bèi dǎ pò le.

The window was broken.

HSK 4 New Patterns / HSK4 新句型

Pattern 1 S + 叫 + Agent + V + other Colloquial passive (undesirable)

我的自行车叫人骑走了。

Wǒ de zìxíngchē jiào rén qí zǒu le.

My bicycle was ridden away by someone.

那件新衣服叫雨淋湿了。

Nà jiàn xīn yīfú jiào yǔ lín shī le.

That new outfit got soaked by the rain.

他的钱叫小偷偷走了。

Tā de qián jiào xiǎotōu tōu zǒu le.

His money was stolen by a thief.

✗ 他叫老师表扬了。

✓ 他被老师表扬了。

叫 in passive sentences typically implies an undesirable result. For positive events (praise, rewards), use 被 instead.

Pattern 2 S + 让 + Agent + V + other Colloquial passive (more neutral)

那本书让同学借走了。

Nà běn shū ràng tóngxué jiè zǒu le.

That book was borrowed (taken) by a classmate.

蛋糕让孩子们吃完了。

Dàngāo ràng háizimen chī wán le.

The cake was all eaten by the children.

这个消息让大家知道了。

Zhège xiāoxī ràng dàjiā zhīdào le.

This news became known to everyone.

✗ 那本书让借走了。

✓ 那本书让同学借走了。

Unlike 被, when using 叫 or 让 in passive sentences, the agent (doer) generally cannot be omitted.

被 vs 叫 vs 让 — Formality and Usage

被 (bèi) — Most formal. Used in both written and spoken Chinese. The agent can be omitted. Works for both positive and negative events.
叫 (jiào) — Colloquial. Usually implies the result is undesirable or unfortunate. The agent is required.
让 (ràng) — Colloquial, more neutral than 叫. The agent is required. Be careful: 让 can also mean "to let/allow" (causative), so context matters.

Error Missing agent with 叫/让 Common mistake

✗ 我的车让偷了。

✓ 我的车让人偷了。

叫 and 让 require an agent. If the doer is unknown, use 人 (someone) as a generic agent, or switch to 被 which allows agent omission: 我的车被偷了。

Error Passive with intransitive verbs Common mistake

✗ 他被跑了。

✓ 他跑了。(No passive needed)

Intransitive verbs like 跑 (run), 来 (come), 去 (go), 死 (die) cannot be used in passive constructions because they do not take an object. The passive requires a transitive verb with a result complement.

✗ 这个问题被发生了。

✓ 这个问题发生了。

发生 (happen) is intransitive — things happen on their own, they are not "happened by" someone. Use normal SVO order.

Classic HSK 4 被动句 Examples Explained / HSK 4 被动句经典例句详解

12 high-frequency 被动句 sentences explained with full pinyin, English, structural breakdown, and the 被 vs 叫 vs 让 difference. These exact patterns appear in HSK 4 reading and listening every year.

他被骗了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #1

Tā bèi piàn le.

"He got cheated." — 被 + verb + 了, the simplest HSK 3-4 passive form. Subject is the receiver of the action.

Slot	Word	Function
Receiver / 受事	他	The one affected by the action
被 marker	被	Passive marker (formal/written)
Agent / 施事	(omitted)	Often dropped when unknown or unimportant
Verb + 了	骗了	The action and its completion

✓ 他被骗了一万块钱。 Tā bèi piàn le yí wàn kuài qián. — "He got cheated out of 10,000 yuan." (Add quantity for HSK 4-level detail.)

我被老师表扬了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #2

Wǒ bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le.

"I was praised by the teacher." — 被 with explicit agent. POSITIVE outcome (a HSK 4 myth-buster — passives don't have to be negative).

✓ 因为成绩好，我被老师表扬了。 Yīnwèi chéngjì hǎo, wǒ bèi lǎoshī biǎoyáng le. — "Because of good grades, I got praised by the teacher."

Pattern: 受事 + 被 + 施事 + 动词 + 其他. Same structure: 他被公司录取了 / 这本书被我读完了 / 那个孩子被妈妈夸奖了 / 我的文章被发表了.

钱包被偷了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #3

Qiánbāo bèi tōu le.

"The wallet got stolen." — extremely common HSK 4 listening situation (loss/theft scenario).

✓ 我的钱包在地铁上被偷了。 Wǒ de qiánbāo zài dìtiě shàng bèi tōu le. — "My wallet got stolen on the subway."

Same structure: 车被偷了 / 手机被抢了 / 自行车被人骑走了 / 行李被人拿错了.

弟弟让妈妈罚了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #4 (HSK 4 NEW)

Dìdi ràng māma fá le.

"Got punished by mom." — using 让 instead of 被. This is the HSK 4 NEW pattern (introduced at this level).

✓ 弟弟没写作业，让妈妈罚站了。 Dìdi méi xiě zuòyè, ràng māma fá zhàn le. — "Little brother didn't do homework, got punished by mom (made to stand)."

HSK 4 KEY: 让 and 叫 are the colloquial / spoken alternatives to 被. They MUST have an explicit agent (you cannot drop it like with 被). 让妈妈罚了 ✓ but you can't say 让罚了.

他的腿叫狗咬了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #5 (HSK 4 NEW)

Tā de tuǐ jiào gǒu yǎo le.

"Got bitten by a dog." — 叫 + agent + verb + 了, often implying NEGATIVE outcomes (accident, injury).

✓ 他的腿叫狗咬了，去医院打了针。 Tā de tuǐ jiào gǒu yǎo le, qù yīyuàn dǎ le zhēn. — "His leg got bitten by a dog; he went to the hospital for a shot."

叫 is more colloquial/spoken. Same structure: 叫雨淋湿了 / 叫风吹倒了 / 叫人撞了 / 叫小狗叫醒了.

杯子被打破了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #6

Bēizi bèi dǎ pò le.

"The cup got broken." — 被 + verb + result complement (破/坏/掉/完). Typical HSK 4 testing point.

✓ 桌子上的杯子被弟弟不小心打破了。 Zhuōzi shàng de bēizi bèi dìdi bù xiǎoxīn dǎ pò le. — "The cup on the table got accidentally broken by little brother."

Same: 书被弄脏了 / 鞋被踩坏了 / 玻璃被打碎了 / 文件被删掉了.

他被经理叫去了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #7

Tā bèi jīnglǐ jiào qù le.

"He got called by the manager." — 被 + agent + verb + directional complement.

✓ 他被经理叫去办公室谈话了。 Tā bèi jīnglǐ jiào qù bàngōngshì tánhuà le. — "He was called by the manager to the office for a talk."

他被人骗了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #8

Tā bèi rén piàn le.

"He got cheated by someone." — 被人 = "by some person" (anonymous agent). Very common HSK 4 fixed expression — 人 substitutes for an unknown actor.

✓ 在网上买东西要小心，不要被人骗了。 Zài wǎng shàng mǎi dōngxi yào xiǎoxīn, bú yào bèi rén piàn le. — "Be careful when shopping online, don't get cheated."

他被邀请到大学演讲 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #9

Tā bèi yāoqǐng dào dàxué yǎnjiǎng.

"He was invited to give a speech at the university." — 被 + verb + 到 + location for prestigious actions.

✓ 那位作家被邀请到我们大学做演讲。 Nà wèi zuòjiā bèi yāoqǐng dào wǒmen dàxué zuò yǎnjiǎng. — "That author was invited to our university to give a speech."

被人先买走了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #10

Bèi rén xiān mǎi zǒu le.

"Got bought first by someone else." — 被 + 人 (anonymous agent) + V + 走 (directional complement showing the object is now gone). Idiomatic HSK 4 pattern for "missing out".

✓ 我刚要买那本书，没想到被人先买走了。 Wǒ gāng yào mǎi nà běn shū, méi xiǎng dào bèi rén xiān mǎi zǒu le. — "I was just about to buy that book — didn't expect someone else got it first."

Same pattern: 被人先抢走了 / 被人先订走了 / 被人先用了. The 走 / 完 / 掉 directional/result complement is required — bare verb (e.g., ✗ 被人先买) is incomplete.

让雨淋湿了 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #11

Ràng yǔ lín shī le.

"Got soaked by the rain." — natural-event 让 passive (very common HSK 4 weather scenario).

✓ 因为没带伞，我让雨淋湿了。 Yīnwèi méi dài sǎn, wǒ ràng yǔ lín shī le. — "Because I didn't bring an umbrella, I got soaked by the rain."

被老师批评了一顿 — HSK 4 被动句例句 #12

Bèi lǎoshī pīpíng le yí dùn.

"Got scolded by the teacher (one round)." — 被 + agent + verb + 了 + measure phrase. The 顿 measure word indicates one full session.

✓ 因为上课迟到，他被老师批评了一顿。 Yīnwèi shàngkè chídào, tā bèi lǎoshī pīpíng le yí dùn. — "For arriving late to class, he got scolded by the teacher."

被 vs 让 vs 叫 — HSK 4 Quick Reference

Marker	Register	Agent required?	Tone	Test frequency at HSK 4
被	Formal / written / news	Optional (can drop)	Neutral or negative	Highest — every test
让	Spoken / colloquial	Required (cannot drop)	Often neutral	HSK 4 NEW — tested in listening
叫	Spoken / colloquial	Required (cannot drop)	Often negative (accident, injury)	HSK 4 NEW — tested in listening

📝 HSK 4 takeaway: Master 被 first (it covers 70% of HSK 4 passives). Then learn 让 / 叫 for spoken/colloquial use — the agent is mandatory. All three appear in HSK 4 listening dialogues and reading passages.

Active ↔ Passive Converter / 主动被动转换器

See the active sentence, then click 被, 叫, or 让 to reveal the corresponding passive form. Compare the three markers.

Active Sentence / 主动句

Error Spotting / 纠错练习

Is this passive sentence correct or incorrect? Judge each sentence.

Comprehensive Quiz / 综合测试 (15 questions)

那个蛋糕孩子们吃完了。

The cake (patient) is the subject receiving the action. 被 marks the passive: 蛋糕被孩子们吃完了 = The cake was all eaten by the children.

我的自行车人骑走了。

叫 is used here as a colloquial passive marker implying an undesirable outcome — the bicycle was taken without permission. 被 would also work, but 叫 emphasizes the speaker's displeasure.

那本书同学借走了。

让 works here as a neutral passive marker. The book being borrowed is not strongly negative, so 让 fits better than 叫. 被 would also be acceptable.

Which sentence uses the passive correctly?

Only transitive verbs with result complements work in passive sentences. 跑 and 发生 are intransitive; 高兴 is an adjective. 吹开 (blow open) is a proper V+result complement.

他的手机被。

In passive sentences, the verb must have a result complement or aspect marker. A bare verb (偷) is incomplete. 偷走了 = was stolen away (V+directional complement+了).

Which passive marker is MOST appropriate for a positive event?

被 is the most versatile passive marker — it works for both positive and negative events (他被老师表扬了). 叫 typically implies undesirable outcomes. 让 is neutral but colloquial.

我的车让偷了。

叫 and 让 require an agent. When the doer is unknown, use the generic 人 (someone): 我的车让人偷了。If you want to omit the agent, use 被 instead: 我的车被偷了。

In the sentence "妈妈让弟弟去买菜", what role does 让 play?

Here 让 means "to let/make" (causative): Mom let/told little brother go buy vegetables. This is NOT passive. Compare: 弟弟让妈妈骂了 (passive: Little brother was scolded by Mom).

花瓶被猫了。

The verb needs a result complement: 打碎 = hit + broken. A bare adjective (碎) or 是/很 construction does not work in passive sentences. The verb must describe the action that caused the result.

Which sentence is INCORRECT?

叫 requires an agent. 我的车叫偷了 is missing the agent — it should be 我的车叫人偷了 or 我的车被偷了 (被 allows omitting the agent).

这件事不能别人知道。

Here 让 means "let/allow": "This matter cannot be let known to others." It functions as a causative (allowing someone to do something), not a passive marker. 被 would create a passive ("be known by others"), which is also grammatically correct, but 让 better captures the intended meaning of preventing others from finding out.

Convert to passive: 弟弟摔坏了杯子。

In passive conversion, the object (杯子) becomes the subject, and the original subject (弟弟) becomes the agent after 被: 杯子被弟弟摔坏了。

他的作文老师选中了。

Being selected by the teacher is a positive outcome. 被 is the best choice for positive passive events. 叫 would imply it was undesirable, which doesn't fit the meaning.

What is the key difference between 叫 and 让 as passive markers?

叫 as a passive marker typically implies the outcome is unfortunate or undesirable. 让 is more neutral and flexible. Both are colloquial and both require an agent (unlike 被).

昨天的比赛我们队赢了。

Winning a game is positive, so 被 is the most appropriate passive marker. 叫 would imply the winning was unfortunate. While 让 could work colloquially, 被 is the most natural and correct choice here.

HSK 4 真题语境例句 / Real-Exam-Context Examples

Five 被字句 sentences in real HSK 4 exam contexts: lost-items dialogues, achievement descriptions, emotional reactions, schedule changes, and news reports. Each highlights when 被 / 让 / 叫 is the natural choice.

我新买的杯子被弟弟不小心打碎了。

Wǒ xīn mǎi de bēizi bèi dìdi bù xiǎoxīn dǎ suì le.

The cup I just bought was accidentally broken by my younger brother.

Test context: 听力 family dialogues about accidents. 被 + named agent + V + 碎/破/坏 (resultative) marks an unintended bad outcome. 不小心 modifies the agent's action — common HSK 4 listening complaint frame.

这本书已经被翻译成了好几种语言。

Zhè běn shū yǐjīng bèi fānyì chéng le hǎojǐ zhǒng yǔyán.

This book has already been translated into several languages.

Test context: 阅读 passages on books, films, or cultural products. 已经被 + V + 成 + result is the standard achievement frame; the agent is omitted because it doesn't matter who did it.

他的故事让所有人都感动得流下了眼泪。

Tā de gùshi ràng suǒyǒu rén dōu gǎndòng de liú xià le yǎnlèi.

His story moved everyone to tears.

Test context: 阅读 narrative passages. 让 + recipient + V + 得 + result is the colloquial causative passive — common HSK 4 emotional-impact pattern. Note: 让 here means "made/caused", not literal "let".

由于天气原因，比赛被推迟到了下个星期六。

Yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, bǐsài bèi tuīchí dào le xià ge xīngqīliù.

Due to weather, the match has been postponed to next Saturday.

Test context: 听力 announcements. 由于…，N + 被 + V + 到 + new time is the canonical schedule-change frame. The agent (the organizers) is implied — that's why 被 with no agent is correct here.

我的雨伞叫前面的同学拿错了。

Wǒ de yǔsǎn jiào qiánmian de tóngxué ná cuò le.

My umbrella was taken by mistake by the classmate in front of me.

Test context: 听力 classroom/library dialogues. 叫 + named agent + V + 错 (resultative) — note: 叫 REQUIRES a named agent (同学), unlike 被 which can omit it. HSK 4 reliably tests the 被 vs 叫/让 distinction on agent omission.

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