The word **被动** is formed as a compound of two characters: **被**, which functions as a grammatical marker indicating the passive voice (akin to "by" or the "-ed" suffix in English), and **动**, meaning "to move" or "to act." Together, they create a word whose literal meaning is "to be moved" or "to be acted upon," which grammatically signifies the passive voice and figuratively extends to describe a state of being inactive, forced, or lacking initiative.