让/叫 Passive Construction
让 and 叫 can introduce the agent in passive sentences, often for unpleasant events.
Pattern
Subject + 让/叫 + Agent + Verb + (Complement)
Explanation
让 and 叫 function like 被 to form passive sentences, but are more colloquial. They introduce who performed the action on the subject. These are often used for unfortunate or undesirable events.
Unlike 被, 让 and 叫 require the agent to be stated explicitly. You cannot say 我让打了 — you must say 我让他打了 (I was hit by him).
Examples
我的手机让弟弟摔坏了。
Wǒ de shǒujī ràng dìdi shuāi huài le.
My phone was broken by my younger brother (he dropped it).
蛋糕叫他吃了。
Dàngāo jiào tā chī le.
The cake was eaten by him.
我的书让雨淋湿了。
Wǒ de shū ràng yǔ lín shī le.
My book got soaked by the rain.
Common Mistakes
我的手机让摔坏了。
我的手机让弟弟摔坏了。
让/叫 requires an explicit agent; use 被 if the agent is unknown.
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