About
The character 被 is structured with the semantic radical 衣, meaning clothing, and the component 皮, meaning skin or hide, which originally referred to a covering such as a quilt or blanket. Etymologically, this combination reflected the use of animal hides as garments or bedcovers, leading to its early meanings as a noun for bedclothes and a verb denoting to cover or to spread over. By the Han dynasty, 被 began to be used in passive constructions to introduce the agent of an action, gradually grammaticalizing into the standard preposition that marks the passive voice in contemporary Chinese.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的书被偷了。
杯子被打破了。
他被老师批评了。
昨天，钱包被小偷偷走了。
如果被发现，他会被处罚。
这个计划已经被公司批准了。
由于天气不好，比赛被推迟了。
他的建议被大家认为是合理的。