畀（被動）

Passive Marker

Level 3Sounds Like bei2

Use 畀 (bei2) to show that something happened to the subject, usually something negative or accidental. It follows the pattern: [Subject] + 畀 + [Agent] + [Verb].

How It Works

The passive marker 畀 (bei2) is the standard way to say 'by' in a passive sentence.

1. The Adversity Nuance
Traditionally, 畀 (bei2) is used when the action is unpleasant, unwanted, or accidental. While modern Cantonese is becoming more flexible, using it for positive events can still sound slightly unnatural.

2. The Mandatory Agent Rule
In Cantonese, you cannot leave the agent slot empty after 畀 (bei2). You must use 畀人 (bei2 jan4) if the doer is unknown or generic.

3. Complements are Required
Passive verbs in Cantonese rarely stand alone. To feel grammatically complete, the verb usually needs an aspect marker like 咗 (zo2) or a resultative complement like 壞 (waai6, 'broken') or 濕 (sap1, 'wet').

4. Register and Orthography
畀 (bei2) is for spoken/colloquial Cantonese. In formal writing, 被 (bei6) is used instead. Note that in Hong Kong, you will frequently see the variant character 俾 (bei2) used interchangeably with 畀 in colloquial texts.

5. Potential Ambiguity
Because 畀 (bei2) also means 'to give' or 'to let/allow', context is key to determining if the subject is a victim or was simply giving permission.

Examples (4)

  1. 我個銀包畀人偷咗。

    My wallet was stolen.

    Word by Word: I [classifier] wallet by person steal [perfective].

    Since we don't know who stole the wallet, we use 人 (jan4, 'someone') as the agent after 畀 (bei2).

  2. 佢尋日畀老細鬧咗餐。

    He got a scolding from the boss yesterday.

    Word by Word: He yesterday by boss scold [perfective] [meal].

    This uses the classic 'adversity' nuance. 鬧 (naau6) means to scold, and 餐 (caan1) is used here as a verbal classifier for a 'bout' of scolding.

  3. 我件衫畀雨淋濕晒。

    My shirt got completely soaked by the rain.

    Word by Word: I [classifier] shirt by rain drench wet completely.

    The agent here is the 'rain' (jyu5). 晒 (saai3) is added to the verb to show the action was 'completely' done.

  4. 架車畀佢撞壞咗。

    The car was crashed and broken by him.

    Word by Word: [Classifier] car by him crash broken [perfective].

    Here, 撞 (zong6, 'crash') is the action and 壞 (waai6, 'broken') is the result. This is a resultative compound.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the agent after 畀 (bei2).

    我部電腦畀整壞咗。
    我部電腦畀人整壞咗。

    In Cantonese, 畀 (bei2) must be followed by an agent. If you don't want to specify who, you must use 人 (jan4) to mean 'someone' or 'people'.

  • Using two passive markers (俾 and 被) in one sentence.

    佢尋日俾老細被鬧。
    佢尋日畀老細鬧。

    Use only one passive marker. In daily speech 畀 (bei2) is the usual one; 被 (bei6) belongs to formal writing.

How It Connects

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畀（被動）Level 3Passive Marker

Learn This First

To understand the passive marker '畀', you first need to be comfortable with its basic meaning of 'to give' or its use as a preposition for recipients. Since passive sentences often describe things that have already occurred, you should also understand the perfective aspect marker '咗'. Finally, because the passive voice changes the standard Cantonese word order, a firm grasp of basic sentence structure is essential.

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