身不由己

shēnbù-yóujǐ

idiom HSK 7-9 #17,478

Meanings

Literally 'body not controlled by oneself' — circumstances force one's hand

他也是身不由己，请你理解他。

Tā yě shì shēnbùyóujǐ, qǐng nǐ lǐjiě tā.

He had no choice either — please try to understand him.

在那种环境下，很多人都身不由己。

Zài nàzhǒng huánjìng xià, hěnduō rén dōu shēnbùyóujǐ.

In that kind of environment, many people had no choice.

usage

身不由己 implies that external circumstances — not personal desire — drive one's actions. It often carries a tone of sympathy or resignation.

memory

Picture a puppet: your body (身) is not (不) controlled by (由) yourself (己).

身 shēn

不 bù

由 yóu

己 jǐ