情不自禁

qíngbú-zìjīn

idiom HSK 7-9 #9,375

Meanings

Literally 'emotion cannot self-restrain' - feelings one cannot hold back

HSK 5

听到这首歌,她情不自禁地流下了眼泪。

Tīngdào zhè shǒu gē, tā qíngbú-zìjīn de liúxià le yǎnlèi.

Hearing this song, she couldn't help but shed tears.

HSK 5

看到那美丽的风景,我们情不自禁地停下了脚步。

Kàndào nà měilì de fēngjǐng, wǒmen qíngbú-zìjīn de tíngxià le jiǎobù.

Seeing that beautiful scenery, we couldn't help but stop in our tracks.

mistakes

The 禁 here is pronounced jīn (1st tone), not jìn (4th tone). This is one of the most commonly mispronounced characters in this idiom.

usage

Often followed by 地 (de) + verb. Used for emotional or physical reactions that happen involuntarily.

情 qíng

不 bù

自 zì

禁 jìn