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身不由己
shēnbùyóujǐ
1. without the freedom to act independently (idiom); involuntary
2. not of one's own volition
3. in spite of oneself

Character Breakdown

身
shēn
body, torso; person; pregnancy
HSK 2 7 丶
不
bù
no, not, un-; negative prefix
HSK 1 4 丶
由
yóu
cause, reason; from
HSK 4 5 丶
己
jǐ
self, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem
HSK 3 3 丶

Compound Words (1)

人在江湖，身不由己
rénzàijiānghú,shēnbùyóujǐ
you can't always do as you like

Metadata

Category
Chinese