On The Semantics Of "Bei" Construction

On the semantics of "Bei" construction, the traditional view is to show a passive relationship, and now more and more researchers have come to agree causativity. However, we found that each statement can not explain all the "Bei" sentences, and "Bei" construction not only expresses a meaning. So what is the reason for the semantic diversity of "Bei" construction? How many meanings does "Bei" construction have? What kind of expansion and evolution relationship among these meanings? In this article we will try to answer these three questions from both synchronic perspective and diachronic perspective.We believe that the semantic diversity of "Bei" construction results from several different corresponding constructions, such as active construction,"Ba" construction etc.,and according to these corresponding constructions we classify and describe the meanings from a synchronic point of view, and then by the diachronic study to find out the semantic expansion and evolution relationship among these meanings. From a synchronic point of view,"Bei" construction can have three meanings——passive, causativity and encounter, but among these types of meanings there are some intermediate types. In addition, we also contrast causative "Bei" construction with "Ba" construction, and found that the two constructions have some difference in both causative scene observation angle of view and the strength of causativity. From the diachronic perspective, the general "Bei"construction started to appear about the late Warring States, and expanded towards causative passive in period of the Western Han Dynasty, and in the Six Dynasties typical causative sprouted up, and until the Tang and the Five Dynasties gradually the most general "Bei" construction completed semantic expansion. Besides, with the development of general "Bei" construction and causative "Bei" construction, some of them began to expand and evolve towards encounter passive in the Tang and the Five Dynasties, and in the Southern Song Dynasty typical encounter "Bei" construction appeared. Encounter "Bei" construction generate and receive certain development, and in modern times gradually die away. In addition, we also give some tentative explanation on the semantic expansion and evolution of "Bei" construction and the dying away of encounter "Bei" construction.