被: the affected participant

Hanzi Tools · Learning guide · Updated 6 November 2026

被 introduces a passive construction. It highlights the participant affected by an event; the person performing the action may be omitted.

Compare the examples

我的自行车被偷了。

My bicycle was stolen.

门被风吹开了。

The door was blown open by the wind.

Try it yourself

In 我的自行车被偷了, what was affected?

1. 我的自行车
2. 我

Practise in context

Write a sentence about something that happened to you, using this pattern. Keep the first version short so you can check the word order. Then change one part, such as the time, person or object, and compare what the new sentence means.

Use the grammar exercises for another comparison. You can paste your example into the Chinese reader to check words and pinyin. An automatic reading is a reference; it cannot settle every question of meaning or naturalness.