忍不住

rěnbuzhù

verb HSK 5 #4,573

Meanings

1 cannot help (doing something)
2 unable to bear; unable to hold back

Characters

cannot hold; unable to stop

Cannot hold back — unable to restrain oneself.

Examples

她忍不住笑了起来。

Tā rěn bu zhù xiào le qǐlái.

She couldn't help but laugh.

我忍不住想吃巧克力。

Wǒ rěn bu zhù xiǎng chī qiǎokèlì.

I can't help wanting to eat chocolate.

他忍不住哭了。

Tā rěn bu zhù kū le.

He couldn't hold back his tears.

Tips

grammar

Pattern: 忍不住 + verb. It's a complement structure (verb + 不住) meaning the action of enduring fails.

Stroke Order

忍 rěn

不 bù

住 zhù