4 characters Idiom and proverb 10 150

We’re sharing free Chinese learning content with you. Idioms and proverbs, full of meaning, are explored in this series. Today, we present 「身不由主」.

The idiom 「身不由主」 and its usage are explored below. Learn its meaning and applications here.

You don’t have control over your body.

The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :

shēn bù yóu zhǔ

while its Cantonese pinyin is :

san1 bat1 yau4 jyu2

Chinese idioms come in large numbers, with diverse meanings and usages, offering endless learning opportunities. We hope these resources make it easier for you to study Chinese.