不由自主 bùyóuzìzhǔ can't help but
(idiom) can't help but; involuntarily
How to remember 不由自主: 不 not + 由 because + 自 self + 主 lord = can't help but.
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How it is used
- Describes an action that happens involuntarily, beyond your control - 我不由自主地笑了 (wǒ bùyóuzìzhǔ de xiào le) I couldn't help laughing.
- Almost always used adverbially with 地 before a verb; the body/emotion acts on its own (tears, laughter, stepping back).
- Contrast 情不自禁 (qíngbúzìjīn), which stresses being overwhelmed by feeling; 不由自主 is more neutral about the cause, just 'not by my own will'.