被 (bèi) · by

Meanings

1 by
2 quilt; blanket

Characters

被

bèi

by (passive marker); quilt; cover

Contains 衤 (clothing radical) - originally meant 'quilt/blanket'.

Examples

HSK 3

蛋糕被吃了。

Dàngāo bèi chī le.

The cake was eaten.

HSK 4

他被老师批评了。

Tā bèi lǎoshī pīpíng le.

He was criticized by the teacher.

HSK 6

我的手机被偷了。

Wǒ de shǒujī bèi tōu le.

My phone was stolen.

Tips

grammar

被 is the main passive marker. Structure: Subject + 被 + (Agent) + Verb. It is often used for unpleasant or undesirable events.

usage

In internet slang, 被 creates humorous passives: 被加班 (forced to work overtime), 被自愿 (was 'volunteered'). This highlights the involuntary nature.

Components

radical

衤 yī

clothing (left-side form of 衣)

Clothing radical on the left - the left-side form of 衣. 被 originally meant 'a quilted cover, a blanket' (cloth that covers the body), and from 'covered by' developed into the modern passive marker. Same radical heads 衫 shirt, 裙 skirt, 袋 bag, 袖 sleeve - the textile family.

phonetic

皮 pí

skin; hide

Right side 皮 supplies the sound: pí → bèi with the regular Old Chinese p/b alternation. Carries faint semantic weight - a 被 covers the body like a second 皮 (skin). Same phonetic also gives 披 (drape over), 破 (break), 波 (wave) - a wide labial family.