▎受, shòu, (Vst), a Passive Marker (see also 被bèi entry)

 

Function Sentences with the transitive verb 受 indicate a passive meaning, ‘to be..., to get...’.

1 在台灣，教授是個受人尊敬的工作。

Zài Táiwān, jiàoshòu shì ge shòu rén zūnjìng de gōngzuò.

In Taiwan, teaching in university is a respected line of work.

2 五月天的歌很受大學生喜愛，他們演唱會的票很快就賣完了。

Wǔyuètiān de gē hěn shòu dàxuéshēng xǐ’ài, tāmen yǎnchànghuì de piào hěn kuài jiù màiwán le.

May Day’s songs are loved by the college crowd. Their concert tickets sell out quickly.

3 他的能力很強，老闆很喜歡他，所以他在公司裡越來越受重視。

Tā de nénglì hěn qiáng, lǎobǎn hěn xǐhuān tā, suǒyǐ tā zài gōngsī lǐ yuèláiyuè shòu zhòngshì.

He is very capable and the boss likes him. He is valued more and more in the company.

4 有一位醫生常上電視，她不但經驗多，而且口才好，非常受歡迎。

Yǒu yí wèi yīshēng cháng shàng diànshì, tā búdàn jīngyàn duō, érqiě kǒucái hǎo, fēicháng shòu huānyíng.

There is a doctor that frequently appears on television. She is not only highly experienced, she is also eloquent. She is very well received.

5 他一向按照規定辦事情，今天不遵守規定，應該是受了很大的壓力。

Tā yíxiàng ànzhào guīdìng bàn shìqíng, jīntiān bù zūnshǒu guīdìng, yīnggāi shì shòule hěn dà de yālì.

He has always done things by the book. He didn’t follow the rules today probably because he’s under a lot of pressure.

 

Usage

A. Two structures are possible with 受. It either takes an object or it is followed by the subject of yet another verb.

(1) 受＋O

1 她受過很好的教育。

Tā shòuguò hěn hǎo de jiàoyù.

She received a good education.

2 他選擇放棄，應該是受了很大的壓力。

Tā xuǎnzé fàngqì, yīnggāi shì shòule hěn dà de yālì.

He decided to give up. He was probably under too much pressure.

(2) 受＋S＋V

1 他教書很活潑，很受學生（的）歡迎。

Tā jiāoshū hěn huópō, hěn shòu xuéshēng (de) huānyíng.

He teaches with a lot of energy and is very popular with students.

2 她寫的歌受大家（的）喜愛。

Tā xiě de gē shòu dàjiā (de) xǐ’ài.

The songs she writes are very well liked by everyone.

3 他提出的想法很受店長（的）重視。

Tā tíchū de xiǎngfǎ hěn shòu diànzhǎng (de) zhòngshì.

The ideas he proposes carry a great deal of weight with the store manager.

B. Comparing the passive with 受 and the passive with 被bèi.

(1) 被 is a passive particle, and 受 is a verb. Words like 很, 非常, and 大 can be placed in front of 受 as adverbials. These cannot be placed in front of 被.

E.g.,

1 比賽的時候天氣不好，他的成績大受影響。

Bǐsài de shíhòu tiānqì bù hǎo, tā de chéngjī dà shòu yǐngxiǎng.

The weather was bad during the competition and his score was greatly impacted.

2 聽了李寶春的故事，他很受感動。

Tīngle Li Bǎochūn de gùshì, tā hěn shòu gǎndòng.

Having heard Li Baochun’s story, he was deeply moved.

3 他把學生當做孩子，非常受學生尊敬。

Tā bǎ xuéshēng dàngzuò háizi, fēicháng shòu xuéshēng zūnjìng.

He views students as his own children and is very much respected by them.

(2) 被-passives relate to instances that are often unfortunate for the subject or the speaker of the sentence, whereas 受-passives are free from this tendency.

E.g.,

1 她的手機被朋友弄壞了。

Tā de shǒujī bèi péngyǒu nòng huài le.

Her phone was broken by a friend.

2 這件事情被她發現就麻煩了。

Zhè jiàn shìqíng bèi tā fāxiàn jiù máfán le.

If she finds out about this, there'll be a lot of trouble.

3 他偷東西的時候被人看見了。

Tā tōu dōngxi de shíhòu bèi rén kànjiàn le.

Someone saw him stealing.

4 她很喜歡這個電影，看了以後很受感動。

Tā hěn xǐhuān zhè ge diànyǐng, kànle yǐhòu hěn shòu gǎndòng.

She likes this movie; she was really moved after watching it.

5 我喜歡接近自然，是受她影響。

Wǒ xǐhuān jiējìn zìrán, shì shòu tā yǐngxiǎng.

My affinity for nature is due to her influence.

6 她念書很專心，不受別人打擾。

Tā niànshū hěn zhuānxīn, bú shòu biérén dǎrǎo.

She is very focused when she studies. Other people can’t disturb her.

(3) 受 is in most cases used with transitive state verbs. 被, on the other hand, is in most cases used with action verbs.

E.g.,

1 他把賣菜賺的錢都給了窮人，很受人尊敬。

Tā bǎ mài cài zhuàn de qián dōu gěile qióngrén, hěn shòu rén zūnjìng.

He is highly respected, because he gives all the money he makes from selling vegetables to the poor.

2 他說話很有意思，很受朋友歡迎。

Tā shuōhuà hěn yǒu yìsi, hěn shòu péngyǒu huānyíng.

He is a very interesting speaker. He is very popular with his friends.

3 這種遊戲很有意思，很受高中學生喜愛。

Zhè zhǒng yóuxì hěn yǒu yìsi, hěn shòu gāozhōng xuéshēng xǐ’ài.

This is a fun game and is very popular with high school students.

4 他沒把事情做好，被老闆罵了一頓。

Tā méi bǎ shìqíng zuòhǎo, bèi lǎobǎn màle yí dùn.

He didn’t do a good job and was reamed out by the boss.

5 我的車上個週末停在路邊，結果被撞壞了。倒楣死了！

Wǒ de chē shàng gè zhōumò tíng zài lù biān, jiéguǒ bèi zhuànghuài le. Dǎoméi sǐle!

I parked my car on the side of the road last weekend, and it got smashed into. What rotten luck!

6 他安靜地走進辦公室，不想被發現。

Tā ānjìng de zǒujìn bàngōngshì, bù xiǎng bèi fàxiàn.

He walked quietly into the office. He didn’t want to be noticed.