忍俊不禁

rěnjùnbùjīn

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。

Tīng dào zhège xiàohuà, dàjiā rěnjùnbùjīn.

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。

Kàn dào xiǎomāo de huájī yàngzi, tā rěnjùnbùjīn 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 rěnjùnbùjīn.

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