按捺不住

ànnà-bùzhù
idiom #47,701

Meanings

  1. 1 unable to hold back
  2. 2 can't suppress (an emotion or impulse)
  3. 3 unable to contain oneself

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tīngdào hǎo xiāoxi, tā ànnàbùzhù nèixīn de xǐyuè.
On hearing the good news, he couldn't contain his joy.
HSK 7-9
Háizi men ànnàbùzhù hàoqíxīn, pǎo le guòqù.
The children couldn't hold back their curiosity and ran over.
HSK 7-9
Tā ànnàbùzhù fènnù, zhōngyú kāikǒu fǎnbó.
Unable to suppress her anger any longer, she finally spoke up.

Tips

grammar
按捺 = to press down / hold under (by pressing). 不住 = cannot manage to (do the verb). Object is always an internal state: 喜悦, 愤怒, 好奇心, 激动, 冲动. Takes a direct object, no preposition needed.
memory
Imagine pressing a lid on a pot of boiling feelings - you can keep it down for a while, but at some point 按捺不住 - it pops off. The mental image makes the idiom easy to retrieve.

Stroke Order

àn
zhù