忍俊不禁

rěnjùn-bùjīn

idiom #47,066

Meanings

1 unable to hold back a smile
2 can't help laughing
3 bursting into laughter despite trying not to

Characters

to hold back; to endure

smile (archaic)

Examples

听到这个笑话，大家忍俊不禁。

Tīngdào zhège xiàohuà, dàjiā rěnjùn-bùjīn.

On hearing the joke, everyone couldn't help laughing.

看到小猫的滑稽样子，她忍俊不禁地笑了起来。

Kàndào xiǎo māo de huájī yàngzi, tā rěnjùn-bùjīn de xiào le qǐlái.

Seeing the kitten's goofy pose, she burst out laughing despite herself.

他那一本正经的表情让人忍俊不禁。

Tā nà yīběnzhèngjīng de biǎoqíng ràng rén rěnjùn-bùjīn.

His super-serious expression made people unable to keep a straight face.

Tips

mistakes

Common pitfall: 俊 here doesn't mean 'handsome' — it means 'smile/laughter' (archaic sense). 忍俊 = 'hold back laughter'; 不禁 = 'cannot restrain'. Don't write 忍不住地笑 and use 忍俊不禁 interchangeably: this idiom is specifically about trying and failing to suppress a smile.

register

Literary but not stuffy; fits in modern writing about humorous scenes, animals, children. Slightly more polished than 笑了起来.

Stroke Order

忍 rěn

俊 jùn

不 bù

禁 jìn