Dictionary › 被

被

bèi

Old HSK 3 HSK 3.0 character level 3 Character

被 (bèi) means "(passive marker) by; quilt". It is an HSK 3.0 level 3 word, and was HSK 3 in the old six-level list.

What 被 means

1. quilt
2. to cover (with)
3. literaryto suffer (a misfortune)
4. used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, if the doer is not mentioned, before the verb)
5. (since c. 2009) (sarcastic or jocular) used to indicate that the following word should be regarded as being in air quotes (as in {被旅游|bèi lu : 3 yóu} to "go on a trip")

How 被 is used in grammar

被 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Passive Constructions: 被, 叫, 让 (HSK 3)
• 被-construction (passive) (HSK 4)
• 把-Sentences & Notional Passive (HSK 5)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 3, prepositions (引出施事、受事).

Example sentences

• 折被子。
  Fold the quilt.
• 您被骗了。
  You've been had.
• 你被骗了。
  You've been deceived.
• 别被杀了。
  Don't get yourself killed.
• 别被骗了。
  Don't be fooled.
• 她被杀了。
  She was killed.

Words starting with 被

• 被子bèi ziblanket; quilt
• 被动bèi dòngpassive
• 被告bèi gào(law) the defendant; the accused
• 被迫bèi pòto be compelled; to be forced
• 被捕bèi bǔto be arrested; under arrest
• 被窝bèi wō(traditional bedding) quilt wrapped around the body as a tube; (contemporary) bedding…
• 被告人bèi gào réndefendant (in legal case)
• 被褥bèi rùbedding; bedclothes
• 被害人bèi hài rénvictim
• 被单bèi dān(bed) sheet; envelope for a padded coverlet
• 被控bèi kòngto be charged; to be accused (of an offense)
• 被害者bèi hài zhěvictim (of a wounding or murder)
• 被保险人bèi bǎo xiǎn réninsured party; the person or entity covered under an insurance policy
• 被面bèi miànquilt
• 被访者bèi fǎng zhěrespondent (in a survey, questionnaire, study etc)
• 被服bèi fúbedding and clothing
• 被保人bèi bǎo réninsured person; insurance policyholder
• 被加数bèi jiā shùaugend; addend
• 被物化bèi wù huàobjectified
• 被执行人bèi zhí xíng rén(law) person required to fulfill obligations set forth in a written court judgement…
• 被动收入bèi dòng shōu rù(finance) passive income
• 被除数bèi chú shùdividend (math.)
• 被选举权bèi xuǎn jǔ quánthe right to be elected; the right to stand for election
• 被旅游bèi lǚ yóu(colloquial) (of a dissident) to be taken on a tour, ostensibly a vacation, but actually…

Words containing 被

• 棉被mián bèicomforter; quilt
• 植被zhí bèivegetation; plant cover
• 包被bāo bèiperidium (envelope or coat of fungi, e.g. puffballs)
• 原被告yuán bèi gàoplaintiff and defendant; prosecution and defense (lawyers)
• 失信被执行人shī xìn bèi zhí xíng rén(law) judgement defaulter…
• 花被huā bèiperianth (common term for calyx and corolla); border and protecting envelope of a flower
• 垫被diàn bèimattress
• 聪明反被聪明误cōng míng fǎn bèi cōng míng wù(idiom) a clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity…
• 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo , shí nián pà jǐng shéng(lit.) once bitten by a snake, one is scared all one's life at the mere sight of a rope…
• 一年被蛇咬，十年怕井绳yī nián bèi shé yǎo , shí nián pà jǐng shéngsee 一朝被蛇咬，一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳

Characters that look like 被

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 破pòbroken; damaged; worn out
• 故gùhappening; instance; reason
• 徙xǐ(literary) to change one's residence
• 旋xuánto revolve; a loop; a circle
• 皱zhòuto wrinkle; wrinkled; to crease
• 掖yēto tuck (into a pocket); to hide; to conceal

Sounds the same

Read bèi, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 备(bound form) to prepare; to equip; (literary) fully; completely
• 背the back of a body or object; to turn one's back; to hide something from
• 倍(two, three etc) -fold; times (multiplier); double
• 贝cowrie; shellfish; currency (archaic)
• 辈lifetime; generation; group of people
• 惫exhausted
• 狈a legendary wolf; distressed; wretched
• 蓓used in 蓓蕾
• 焙to dry over a fire; to bake
• 悖to go against; to be contrary to; perverse
• 钡barium (chemistry)
• 孛comet

Where 被 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Function Words & Prepositions (HSK 3), HSK 3 Characters · Set 3 (HSK 3), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 3 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read bèi correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.