身不由己
Traditional form:
身不由己
Pinyin (reading):
shēnbùyóujǐ
Definitions:
- (idiom) (of one's circumstances) beyond one's control; unable to do anything about it; (of one's actions) not subject to conscious control (i.e. done in spite of oneself)
Characters:
- 身 - body, torso; person; pregnancy
- 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
- 由 - cause, reason; from
- 己 - self, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem
Traditional characters: