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被

Mandarin · pinyin bèi

quilt
to cover (with)
(literary) to suffer (a misfortune)
used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, if the doer is not mentioned, before the verb)
(since c. 2009) (sarcastic or jocular) used to indicate that the following word should be regarded as being in air quotes (as in 被旅遊 bèi lǚ yóu to "go on a trip")

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Characters in this entry

被: bèi · passive indicator 'by'; bedding

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4 · bei4

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1character link49same-tone records

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 11 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bei6 · pei1 · pei5

Cantonese word readings for 被. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

bedding; quilt; blanket (Classifier: 床 m; 張／张 c; 領／领 mn)

character

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to cover
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to suffer; to sustain (loss, misfortune, etc.), to receive
by
Used before a verb to indicate passive voice (traditionally with a negative connotation, but also used generally under the influence of Westernization).
(neologism) passively; under duress; in a forged manner; etc.
a surname

character

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 披 (“to cover oneself; to scatter”)

character

(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 髲 (bì, “wig”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 彼 (bǐ, “that”)

character

(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 帔

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