The PASSIve
21.5
21.3 Conditions for using the passive in Mandarin
The Mandarin passive is used under the following circumstances:
- To express adversity
To indicate that the event has negative consequences or is in some way ‘bad news’ for the
narrator, addressee, or affected noun:
我的钱被小偷偷走了。
我的錢被小偷偷走了。
Wǒ de qián bèi xiǎotōu tōuzǒu le.
My money was stolen by a thief.
This association of the passive with bad news, once a signature feature of the passive in
Mandarin, is becoming less common.
- To express surprise or astonishment
我们的秘密被政府发现了。
我們的祕密被政府發現了。
Wǒmen de mìmì bèi zhèngfǔ fāxiàn le.
Our secret was discovered by the government.
- To emphasize the affected noun phrase rather than the agent
这儿的树都被人砍了。
這兒的樹都被人砍了。
Zhèr de shù dōu bèi rén kǎn le.
The trees here were all cut down by people.
- To describe an action when the agent is unknown
昨天银行被抢了。
昨天銀行被搶了。
Zuótiān yínháng bèi qiǎng le.
The bank was robbed yesterday.
- To avoid mentioning the agent of an action
我女儿被骗了。
我女兒被騙了。
Wǒ nǚ’ér bèi piàn le.
My daughter was cheated.
21.4 differences between the passive markers 被 bèi, 叫 jiào,
and 让/讓 ràng
- Frequency: 被 bèi occurs more frequently in written or formal contexts than the other
passive markers. In colloquial speech, 叫 jiào and 让/讓 ràng are more commonly used.
Dialects differ in the preferred passive marker.
- Adversity: 被 bèi connotes stronger adversity than the other passive markers.
21.5 Additional functions of 让/讓 ràng, 叫 jiào, and 给/給 gGi
In addition to their role in passive sentences, 让/讓 ràng, 叫 jiào, and 给/給 gěi have other
functions.
- 叫 jiào is also used as a verb meaning ‘call,’ or ‘order.’
- 让/讓 ràng is also used as a verb meaning ‘let’ or ‘allow.’
