Meaning of 被迫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be compelled; to be forced
How to use 被迫
被迫 usually comes right before another verb to show someone did something against their will. It is common in news and formal writing, and also in everyday talk about hard situations. Example: 他被迫辞职了。(Tā bèipò cízhí le.) He was forced to resign.
被 (bèi) is the passive marker, as in 被动 (bèidòng) passive, and 迫 (pò) means to press or force, as in 压迫 (yāpò) to oppress. Put them together and you get "being pressed" by something outside you, so you are forced to act.
Common mistake: Learners often read 迫 as pài or pǎi because it looks like 拍 (pāi) and 白 (bái). In 被迫 it is fourth tone pò, so both syllables are fourth tone: bèipò.
被迫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
被 bèi · quilt · 10 strokes
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迫 pò · to compel · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 被迫.
| 被子 | bèizi | blanket; quilt |
| 迫切 | pòqiè | urgent; pressing |
| 强迫 | qiǎngpò | to compel; to force |
| 被动 | bèidòng | passive |
| 被告 | bèigào | (law) the defendant; the accused |
| 压迫 | yāpò | to oppress; to repress |
| 被捕 | bèibǔ | to be arrested; under arrest |
| 迫不及待 | pòbùjídài | (idiom) unable to hold oneself back; eager to do sth without delay |
| 迫使 | pòshǐ | to force; to compel |
| 迫害 | pòhài | to persecute |
| 紧迫 | jǐnpò | pressing; urgent |
| 逼迫 | bīpò | to force; to compel |
Questions about 被迫
What does 被迫 mean?
被迫 (bèipò) means "to be compelled; to be forced" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 被迫?
被迫 is made of 2 characters: 被 (10 strokes), 迫 (8 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 被迫 an HSK word?
Yes. 被迫 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 被迫 and 强迫?
强迫 (qiǎngpò) is active: someone forces someone else, as in 他强迫我去 (He forced me to go). 被迫 describes the person who is forced, as in 我被迫去了 (I was forced to go).
Can I put the person who did the forcing inside 被迫?
No, 被迫 is a fixed word and you cannot put an agent between 被 and 迫. To name who forced you, use 被 + person + 强迫 or 逼, for example 我被他逼着去了 (Wǒ bèi tā bīzhe qù le), I was pushed by him to go.