人在江湖，身不由己 rén zài jiāng hú ， shēn bù yóu jǐ

DEFINITIONS

  1. you can't always do as you like
  2. one has to compromise in this world (idiom)

CHARACTERS

人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else
在 zài
HSK 1
be at, in, on; consist in, rest
江 jiāng
HSK 4
large river; yangzi; surname
湖 hú
HSK 6
a lake; Hubei, Hunan; bluish-green
身 shēn
HSK 2
body; trunk, hull; rad. no. 158
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
由 yóu
HSK 4
cause, reason; from
己 jǐ
HSK 3
self, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem