不禁 meaning in English

bùjīn

can't help (doing sth); can't refrain from

HSK 6adverb17 strokes

Meaning of 不禁

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

bùjīn

can't help (doing sth)
can't refrain from

How to use 不禁

不禁 is a fairly formal adverb that goes right before a verb, often one about feelings or reactions like 笑 (xiào), 哭 (kū), or 想起 (xiǎngqǐ). It describes an involuntary reaction, usually in writing or storytelling. Example: 听到这个消息，她不禁笑了起来。(Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, tā bùjīn xiào le qǐlái.) Hearing the news, she couldn't help laughing.

不 (bù) means not, and 禁 (jīn) here means to bear or hold back. So 不禁 is literally not able to hold back, which is why it means you can't help doing something.

Common mistake: Learners often read 禁 here as jìn, the fourth tone used in 禁止 (jìnzhǐ, to forbid), but in 不禁 it is first tone, bùjīn. Also avoid using 不禁 for deliberate choices. It only describes reactions you cannot control.

不禁 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ不bù禁jīn为wèi他tā感gǎn到dào难nán过guò。

I can't help feeling sorry for him.

我wǒ不bù禁jīn想xiǎng我wǒ的de儿ér子zi一yì直zhí都dōu在zài生shēng。

I cannot help thinking that my son is still alive.

我wǒ每měi次cì看kàn到dào你nǐ都dōu不bù禁jīn想xiǎng起qǐ你nǐ母mǔ亲qīn来lái。

Every time I see you, I can't help thinking about your mother.

他tā的de信xìn写xiě得de很hěn亲qīn切qiè，她tā读dú了le以yǐ后hòu不bù禁jīn感gǎn动dòng得de哭kū了le起qǐ来lái。

So friendly was his letter that she was deeply moved and began to cry.

我wǒ不bù禁jīn欣xīn赏shǎng他tā的de才cái华huá。

I can't help admiring his talent.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

不 bù · no · 4 strokes

禁 jìn · to restrict · 13 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 不禁.

对不起	duìbuqǐ	I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint
是不是	shì bu shì	is or is not (used to form yes-no questions)
不用	bùyòng	need not
不大	bù dà	not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently
不对	bùduì	incorrect; wrong
不客气	bù kèqì	you're welcome; don't mention it
不要	bùyào	don't!; must not
不过	bùguò	only; merely
不错	bùcuò	correct; right
不行	bùxíng	won't do; be out of the question
不同	bù tóng	different; distinct
不好意思	bù hǎoyìsi	to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing

Questions about 不禁

What does 不禁 mean?

不禁 (bùjīn) means "can't help (doing sth); can't refrain from" and is used as a adverb.

How do you write 不禁?

不禁 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 禁 (13 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.

Is 不禁 an HSK word?

Yes. 不禁 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 不禁 and 忍不住?

Both mean can't help doing something. 忍不住 (rěnbuzhù) is more common in everyday speech and can stand alone, while 不禁 is more literary and must be followed by a verb.

Can 不禁 be used with first person, like 我不禁?

Yes, 我不禁想起了小时候 (wǒ bùjīn xiǎngqǐ le xiǎoshíhou), I couldn't help thinking of my childhood, is natural. It is just more common in written narration than in casual conversation.