HSK 4 Grammar

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.

3
Markers (被/叫/让)
3
HSK Levels
30+
Exercises
HSK Level Progression / 等级递进
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
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.

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.
Related / 相关内容
把
把字句 Ba-Sentence
语
All Grammar Points
词
HSK 4 Vocabulary

用模拟考试检验被动句掌握情况

Test your passive sentence knowledge with full HSK 4 mock exams

Start a Mock Exam →

Other HSK 4 Grammar Topics

把字句 Ba-Sentence 比较句 Comparison 补语 Complements 复句 Complex Sentences 副词 Adverbs 虚词 Function Words 兼语句 Pivotal Sentences 固定搭配 Fixed Patterns 修辞 Rhetorical

Practice these grammar patterns in context with our mock exams, or review the full HSK 4 vocabulary list. For sentence-level practice, try our sentence ordering exercises.