被…V了 (bèi...V le)

被…V了 is the standard way to form a passive sentence in Mandarin. 被 introduces the agent (who performed the action), the verb follows, and 了 marks the action as completed. The construction often implies an unwanted or unexpected outcome for the subject.

Structure

Subject + 被 + (Agent) + Verb + 了

The agent after 被 is optional. When the agent is unknown or unimportant, it may be omitted: Subject + 被 + Verb + 了.

Example Sentences

我的钱包被人偷了。 Wǒ de qiánbāo bèi rén tōu le. My wallet was stolen.

那扇窗户被风吹开了。 Nà shàn chuānghù bèi fēng chuīkāi le. That window was blown open by the wind.

他的提议被大家接受了。 Tā de tíyì bèi dàjiā jiēshòu le. His proposal was accepted by everyone.

蛋糕被小孩子吃完了。 Dàngāo bèi xiǎo háizi chīwán le. The cake was all eaten up by the child.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
被偷了	was stolen
被批评了	was criticized
被选上了	was chosen, selected
被发现了	was discovered
被吃完了	was completely eaten up

Memory Hook

Think of 被 as a "hit by" marker. The subject is on the receiving end of an action, and 了 stamps the result as done. Subject → was hit by → agent → verb → done.