LEARN + CHINESE / 98 of 300 HSK 3
It Was Taken Away 被
The parcel is missing, but no one knows who moved it. Start with the thing affected, then use 被 to show what happened; name the doer after 被 only if that detail matters. This lets the listener follow the result first.
我的自行车被人偷走了，只好坐公交上班。
wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi rén tōu zǒu le, zhǐhǎo zuò gōngjiāo shàngbān.
My bike was stolen, so I had to take the bus to work.
那封信被邮局退回来了，地址好像写错了。
nà fēng xìn bèi yóujú tuì huílái le, dìzhǐ hǎoxiàng xiě cuò le.
The letter was returned by the post office; it looks like the address was written incorrectly.
我的名字被老师念错了，大家都笑了。
wǒ de míngzi bèi lǎoshī niàn cuò le, dàjiā dōu xiào le.
My name was read incorrectly by the teacher, and everyone laughed.
门让风吹开了，屋里的纸也飞得到处都是。
mén ràng fēng chuī kāi le, wūli de zhǐ yě fēi de dàochù dōu shì.
The door was blown open by the wind, and the papers inside flew everywhere.
Hint · 힌트
被 and 叫/让 all introduce the doer in this pattern. 被 is the most neutral choice in writing; 叫 and 让 are common in speech. The affected thing comes first in every example.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
zìxíngchē | bicycle |
tōu zǒu | to steal and take away |
zhǐhǎo | to have no choice but to |
gōngjiāo | public bus |
shàngbān | to go to work |
yóujú | post office |
tuì huílái | to be returned |
dìzhǐ | address |
xiě cuò | to write incorrectly |
míngzi | name |
lǎoshī | teacher |
niàn cuò | to read aloud incorrectly |
fēng | wind |
chuī kāi | to blow open |
zhǐ | paper |
dàochù | everywhere |
bèi | passive marker |
jiào | passive marker; to call |
ràng | passive marker; to let |
jiéguǒ | result |
YOUR PROGRESS
Finished this lesson?
Save your place in this course.