CHENGYU
不由自主(bù yóu zì zhǔ)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 清·曹雪芹《红楼梦》
MEANING
- Literal
- not at the will of one's own master
- Figurative meaning
- involuntarily; unable to help oneself
ORIGIN STORY
In Dream of the Red Chamber, a character in a feverish dream feels "her body no longer at her own command, as if someone were pulling her this way and that". The phrase names the moment control slips away.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“in spite of oneself”
EXAMPLES
看到这么感人的场面，我不由自主地流下了眼泪。Kàn dào zhème gǎnrén de chǎngmiàn, wǒ bù yóu zì zhǔ de liú xià le yǎnlèi.HSK6
Seeing such a moving scene, I could not help but weep.
他不由自主地笑了。Tā bù yóu zì zhǔ de xiào le.HSK6
He smiled in spite of himself.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is loss of self-control in the moment — not being forced by another person.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01