身不由己 shēn bù yóu jǐ involuntarily

Explanation

这个成语的意思是指不能自主，被迫做某事。

This idiom means to be unable to act independently, to be forced to do something.

Origin Story

在一个古老的中国朝代，有一个名叫李白的书生，他生性浪漫不羁，喜欢仗剑走天涯，吟诗作赋。有一天，他被皇帝召入宫中，封为翰林院学士，负责为皇帝撰写诗文。李白初入宫廷，感到十分兴奋，他以为可以尽情发挥自己的才华，写出许多流传千古的佳作。然而，随着时间的推移，他发现宫廷生活充满了尔虞我诈，人情冷暖，让他感到十分压抑。他原本想自由地创作诗歌，却发现自己身不由己，只能按照皇帝的旨意，写一些歌功颂德的诗篇。李白感到非常失望，他渴望重拾自由，但又不得不为自己的处境而无奈。最终，他选择离开宫廷，回到了自己的故乡，继续他的诗歌创作。

zài yī gè gǔ lǎo de zhōng guó cháo dài, yǒu yī gè míng jiào lǐ bái de shū shēng, tā shēng xìng làng màn bù jī, xǐ huan zhàng jiàn zǒu tiān yá, yín shī zuò fù. yǒu yī tiān, tā bèi huáng dì zhào rù gōng zhōng, fēng wéi hàn lín yuàn xué shì, fù zé wèi huáng dì zhuàn xiě shī wén. lǐ bái chū rù gōng tíng, gǎn dào fēn cháng xīng fèn, tā yǐ wéi kě yǐ jìn qíng fā huī zì jǐ de cái huá, xiě chū xǔ duō liú chuán qiān gǔ de jiā zuò. rán ér, suízhe shí jiān de tuī yí, tā fā xiàn gōng tíng shēng huó mǎn zhe ěr yú wǔ zhà, rén qíng lěng nuǎn, ràng tā gǎn dào fēn cháng yā yì. tā yuán běn xiǎng zì yóu de chuàng zuò shī gē, què fā xiàn zì jǐ shēn bù yóu jǐ, zhǐ néng àn zhào huáng dì de zhǐ yì, xiě yī xiē gē gōng sòng dé de shī piān. lǐ bái gǎn dào fēi cháng shī wàng, tā kě wàng chóng shí zì yóu, dàn yòu bù dé bù wèi zì jǐ de chǔ jìng ér wú nài. zuì zhōng, tā xuǎn zé lí kāi gōng tíng, huí dào le zì jǐ de gù xiāng, jì xù tā de shī gē chuàng zuò.

In an ancient Chinese dynasty, there was a scholar named Li Bai who was naturally romantic and unrestrained. He loved to travel with a sword and write poetry. One day, he was summoned to the palace by the emperor and appointed as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, responsible for writing poems and articles for the emperor. Li Bai was excited when he first entered the palace, he thought he could give full play to his talents and write many masterpieces that would be passed down through the ages. However, as time went on, he found that palace life was full of intrigue and deceit, the warmth and coldness of human relationships made him feel very depressed. He originally wanted to create poetry freely, but found himself unable to do so, he could only write some odes to praise the emperor according to the emperor's will. Li Bai was very disappointed, he longed to regain his freedom, but he had to be helpless about his situation. In the end, he chose to leave the palace and return to his hometown to continue his poetry writing.

Usage

这个成语主要用于描述一个人在某些情况下，无法自主地做出决定或采取行动，只能被迫服从或顺从。

zhè gè chéng yǔ zhǔ yào yòng yú miáo shuǐ yī gè rén zài mǒu xiē qíng kuàng xià, wú fǎ zì zhǔ de zuò chū jué dìng huò cǎi qǔ xíng dòng, zhǐ néng bèi pò fú cóng huò shùn cóng.

This idiom is mainly used to describe a person who, under certain circumstances, is unable to make decisions or take actions independently, but is forced to obey or comply.

Examples

• 他身不由己地被卷入了这场争端。

  tā shēn bù yóu jǐ de bèi juǎn rù le zhè chǎng zhēng duān.

  He was unwittingly drawn into this dispute.

• 面对压力，他身不由己地选择了妥协。

  miàn duì yā lì, tā shēn bù yóu jǐ de xuǎn zé le tuǒ xié.

  Facing pressure, he reluctantly chose to compromise.

• 身不由己，只能听从安排。

  shēn bù yóu jǐ, zhǐ néng tīng cóng ān pái.

  He had no choice but to follow orders.

• 身不由己，只能顺其自然。

  shēn bù yóu jǐ, zhǐ néng shùn qí zì rán.

  He had no choice but to let nature take its course.

Related Idioms

• 不由自主

• 情不自禁

• 身不由主

Opposite Idioms

• 随心所欲

• 自由自在

• 独立自主