人在江湖，身不由己

rén zài jiāng hú , shēn bù yóu jǐ

Dictionary entry

(proverb) you can't always do as you like; one has to compromise in this world

What does 人在江湖，身不由己 mean?

人在江湖，身不由己 (rén zài jiāng hú , shēn bù yóu jǐ) has the following dictionary meaning.

1(proverb) you can't always do as you like; one has to compromise in this world

Character breakdown

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人rénperson; people · CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2]在zàito exist; to be alive · (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 江Jiāngsurname Jiang · (bound form) Yangtze River 湖húlake 身shēnbody · life 不bùno; not so · (bound form) not; un-由yóuto follow · from 己jǐself · oneself

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How to pronounce 人在江湖，身不由己

人在江湖，身不由己

rén zài jiāng hú , shēn bù yóu jǐ

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.