Chinese word

身不由己

Pronunciation

Pinyinshēn bù yóu jǐ

Meaning

  • idiominvoluntarily

Example

看到那张照片，他身不由己地笑了。kàn dào nà zhāng zhào piān tā shēn bù yóu jǐ dì xiào le

Seeing that photo, he involuntarily laughed.

Illustration for 身不由己 (involuntarily)

More examples

面对压力，他身不由己地叹了口气。miàn duì yā lì tā shēn bù yóu jǐ dì tàn le kǒu qì

When faced with pressure, he involuntarily let out a sigh.

Core concept

A person's actions move beyond personal control under strong emotion or outside pressure.

Common phrases

  • 身不由己地笑shēn bù yóu jǐ dì xiào

    laugh despite oneself

  • 身不由己地叹息shēn bù yóu jǐ dì tàn xī

    sigh despite oneself

Similar words

不由自主bù yóu zì zhǔ: An automatic response occurs without deliberate thought or control.
情不自禁qíng bú zì jīn: Powerful feelings cannot be contained and come out in words or actions.
忍不住rěn bú zhù: An urge cannot be held back, so an action or response follows.

Definition in Chinese

身体或行为不受自己支配，常用来表示在强烈情绪或外在压力下无法自制。shēn tǐ huò xíng wéi bú shòu zì jǐ zhī pèi cháng yòng lái biǎo shì zài qiáng liè qíng xù huò wài zài yā lì xià wú fǎ zì zhì

Word origin

身 (shēn, "body") + 不 (bù, "not") + 由 (yóu, "be governed by") + 己 (jǐ, "self") forms the image of a body not governed by its own self.

Usage tips

  • As an adverb, it commonly comes before the action it modifies, making it useful for describing a sudden laugh, cry, or movement in conversation.

Other meanings

  • against one's willidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word