Hanzi
CharactersIdiomsChinese ZodiacChinese Name
Tools
  • Chinese Word CounterCount characters, words and sentences in Chinese text
  • Pinyin GeneratorConvert Chinese text to pinyin with tone marks
  • Chinese Text Image GeneratorRender Chinese text as a downloadable image
  • Chinese Text to SpeechRead Chinese aloud with karaoke highlighting
  • Stroke Order AnimatorTurn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
  • Writing WorksheetsPrintable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
View all tools →
Blogs
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己
身不由己

身不由己 — “Unable to act of one's own free will”

身不由己 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Unable to act of one's own free will”. Involuntarily; compelled by circumstances beyond one's control. Literally, “One's body is not controlled by oneself”.

Frequency

身不由己 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 身shēn
  • 不bù
  • 由yóu
  • 己jǐ

身不由己 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
身
shēn7body, person, life, self
不
bù4not
由
yóu5cause, from, by, due to
己
jǐ3self, oneself

Example Sentence with 身不由己

在那种紧急情况下,他感到身不由己,只能跟着人群往外跑。
In that emergency, he felt unable to control himself and could only follow the crowd to rush out.

Idioms Related to 身不由己

Synonyms of 身不由己

  • bù不yóu由zì自zhǔ主beyond one's control
  • qíng情bù不zì自jīn禁unable to restrain one's feelings

Antonyms of 身不由己

  • yìng应fu付zì自rú如handle with ease and competence
  • dé得xīn心yìng应shǒu手skillful and smooth in execution
  • dú独lì立zì自zhǔ主independent and self-reliant

More idioms starting with 身

  • shēn身bù不yóu由zhǔ主beyond one's control
  • shēn身bù不yù遇shí时born at an unfortunate time
  • shēn身lín临qí其jìng境To experience something firsthand or immersively
  • shēn身jià价bèi倍zēng增greatly enhance one's personal worth
  • shēn身jià价bǎi百bèi倍one's social status or value rises significantly
  • shēn身tǐ体lì力xíng行practice what you preach
  • shēn身tǐ体fà发fū肤one's entire physical self
  • shēn身zuò做shēn身dāng当take full responsibility for one's actions
  • shēn身xiān先shì士zhòng众lead by example
  • shēn身xiān先shì士zú卒lead by example
  • shēn身xiān先zhāo朝lù露pass away swiftly like morning dew
  • shēn身rù入qí其jìng境to experience something firsthand

Questions about 身不由己

What does 身不由己 mean?
身不由己 (shēn bù yóu jǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Unable to act of one's own free will”.
How do you pronounce 身不由己?
身不由己 is pronounced shēn bù yóu jǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 身不由己 literally mean?
Literally, 身不由己 means “One's body is not controlled by oneself”. It is used to mean “Unable to act of one's own free will”.
What is the Chinese definition of 身不由己?
由:听从。身体不由自己作主。
Copy the pinyin for 身不由己 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

© 2026 hanzi.now

Contact Us