How to Write 被 (bèi) — Meaning “Quilt; (passive marker)”

Imagine a quilt (衤) made of animal skin (皮) keeping you warm at night. This visual of a furry blanket helps connect the clothing radical with the skin component on the right.

Start with the left radical 衤: write the dot, then horizontal left-falling stroke, vertical, and two small strokes. Then on the right, write 皮: first a horizontal hook, then a left-falling stroke, and finally a right-falling stroke. Common mistake is making the right side too wide.

被 has the radical 衤 and means 'quilt' or is a passive marker, while 衩 (chǎ) refers to an opening in clothes (slit) and 衫 (shān) means a shirt or garment. Visually, 被 has the skin component on the right, whereas 衩 has 叉 and 衫 has 彡.

被 is most commonly used as a passive voice marker before a verb to show the subject receives an action, e.g., 他被打了 (He was hit). As a noun, it appears in 被子 (bèi zi, quilt), and in legal terms like 被告 (bèi gào, defendant).

Common words containing 被 include: 被子 (bèi zi) — Quilt or duvet; 被告 (bèi gào) — defendant / the accused; 被动 (bèi dòng) — Passive.