禁不住

jīnbuzhù
verb HSK 7-9 #16,527

Meanings

  1. 1 can't help (doing something)
  2. 2 can't bear; unable to endure

Examples

HSK 2
Tā jīnbuzhù xiào le qǐlái.
She couldn't help but laugh.
HSK 4
Zhè bǎ yǐzi jīnbuzhù zhème zhòng de rén zuò.
This chair can't bear someone so heavy sitting on it.

Tips

grammar
禁不住 is a potential complement (V不住). It has two meanings: 'can't restrain oneself from' (禁不住笑) and 'can't withstand' (禁不住重压). Context makes the meaning clear.
mistakes
The 禁 here is pronounced jīn (1st tone), not jìn (4th tone). Many learners use the wrong tone because 禁止 (jìnzhǐ) is more familiar.

Stroke Order

禁 jìn
不 bù
住 zhù