身不由己 in English shen1 bu4 you2 ji3 Meaning

Meanings

• without the freedom to act independently (idiomatic expression); involuntary
• not of one's own volition
• in spite of oneself

Pinyin

shen1 bu4 you2 ji3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

身shen1body 不bu4(negative prefix) 由you2to follow 己ji3self