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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

Chinese

不由自主

/pu⁵¹ joʊ̯³⁵ t͡sɹ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
to not be able to restrain oneself; to feel an irresistible urge (to do something); can't help but; involuntarily; spontaneously
  • HSK 10
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The phrase describes a state where one is no longer the master of their own actions, moving as if driven by external forces.
The phrase describes a state where one is no longer the master of their own actions, moving as if driven by external forces.

Origin

The phrase 不由自主 describes an inability to restrain oneself or a state of acting spontaneously and involuntarily. According to the MOE Dictionary, it signifies being unable to control oneself or not being under one's own control.

This expression is composed of the characters 不, meaning not; 由, meaning cause or reason; 自, meaning self or oneself; and 主, meaning owner or master.

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

這個詞彙由不、由、自、主四個字組成。其中，「不」表示否定；「由」代表原因或理由；「自」指自己或自身；「主」則指主人或掌控者。

根據《國語辭典》的解釋，其意義為不能自制，或是由不得自己。當一個人處於這種狀態時，會感到一種無法抗拒的衝動，或是做出不自主且自發性的行為。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • characterChinese不 “not; un-; in-; il-; im-; ir-”
  • characterChinese由 “cause; reason”
  • characterChinese自 “self, oneself; one's own”
  • characterChinese主 “owner; master”
Wiktionary etymology text

No etymology text yet. The graph shows what is known from the sources.

Meanings

phrase
  1. to not be able to restrain oneself; to feel an irresistible urge (to do something); can't help but; involuntarily; spontaneously

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 不能自制、由不得自己。 例：才住上幾天，我就不由自主地愛上這個小鎮了。

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • HSK / TOCFL word lists — Facts (levels)
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • Written form — n/a
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0