人为刀俎，我为鱼肉

人為刀俎，我為魚肉
rénwéidāozǔ,wǒwéiyúròu
  1. lit. to be the meat on sb's chopping block (idiom)
  2. fig. to be at sb's mercy

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 人为 rénwéi
  1. artificial
  2. man-made
  3. having human cause or origin
  4. human attempt or effort
2 刀俎 dāozǔ sacrificial knife and altar
3 我 wǒ
  1. I
  2. me
  3. my
=4 为 wéi
  1. as (in the capacity of)
  2. to take sth as
  3. to act as
  4. to serve as
  5. to behave as
  6. to become
  7. to be
  8. to do
  9. by (in the passive voice)
=4 为 wéi variant of 为 wéi
5 鱼肉 yúròu
  1. flesh of fish
  2. fish and meat
  3. (fig.) victims of oppression
  4. (fig.) to cruelly oppress (i.e. to treat like flesh to be carved up)