身不由己 (shēn bù yóu jǐ)

Character breakdown

• 身 (shēn) · 7 strokes

  Pictograph of a person with a protruding midsection.

• 不 (bù) · 4 strokes

  Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.

• 由 (yóu) · 5 strokes

  Depicts a kind of helmet worn by warriors. Based on the original meaning "helmet", now written as 胄. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

• 己 (jǐ) · 3 strokes

  Origin unclear. Possibly a pictograph of a silk rope, in which case would be the original form of 紀.

Usage

他也是身不由己，没有办法。

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

tā yě shì shēn bù yóu jǐ ， méi yǒu bàn fǎ 。