身不由己

• Pinyin: shēn bù yóu jǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 身 = pictograph of a person (one's body/person); 不 = negation; 由 = 田 (path/route — controlled by); 己 = pictograph of coiled thread (self)

Meaning

To have no control over oneself; to be compelled by circumstances beyond one's will; to act involuntarily due to external pressures.

A four-character idiom expressing the helplessness of being driven by social obligations, external forces, or situations that override personal choice. Common in literary and emotional contexts describing people trapped by duty or circumstance.

Examples

1. 他在官场中摸爬滚打多年，早已深知很多时候身不由己，无法按自己的意愿行事。 After years of navigating officialdom, he long ago learned that you often have no real choice and can’t act according to your own wishes.
2. 每逢节假日，她都要出席各种应酬，真是身不由己，疲惫不堪。 Every holiday she has to attend one social obligation after another—she really has no choice, and she’s exhausted.
3. 这位演员签订了繁重的合约，接下来两年将身不由己地参与各类商业活动。 This actor signed a demanding contract, and for the next two years will have little choice but to take part in all kinds of commercial activities.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, social obligations, literary

Tone: resigned

Do Say

• 身处这样的环境，他感到身不由己，只能随波逐流。(Placed in such an environment, he felt powerless and could only go with the flow.)
• 作为公众人物，她的日程安排身不由己，几乎没有私人时间。(As a public figure, her schedule was beyond her control, leaving her almost no private time.)

Don't Say

• 身不由己地喜欢上了他 — 身不由己 refers to external compulsion, not falling in love; use 情不自禁 for uncontrollable feelings instead

Origin & History

身 (self, one's person) + 不 (not) + 由 (controlled by) + 己 (oneself)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal