不禁

bù jīn

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 6 Adverb Uncommon

Definitions

1. can't help (doing sth)
2. can't refrain from

Word relationships

Related words

3 items

不由自主

bù yóu zì zhǔ

can't help; involuntarily (idiom)

Often used with 不禁 to emphasize involuntary action.

难免

nán miǎn

hard to avoid

Related but different: 难免 means 'hard to avoid', not specifically 'can't help feeling/doing'.

不尽

bù jìn

not completely

Note the difference: 不禁 is 'can't help', 不尽 means 'endless' or 'not fully'.

Synonyms

1 item

忍不住

rěn bu zhù

cannot help

Both mean 'can't help but do something'; 不禁 is more literary, while 忍不住 is colloquial.

Usage notes

Collocations

Often followed by a verb or adjective expressing an involuntary emotional reaction, e.g., 不禁笑了起来 (can't help but laugh).

Common mistakes

Don't confuse with 禁止 (to prohibit). 不禁 is an adverb meaning 'involuntarily'.

Grammar

Guides that feature 不禁

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

1 guide

HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 6+ 8 min

Spontaneous Reaction with 不禁

Use 不禁 for advanced descriptions of emotion and automatic response.

Reading: bù jīn Open guide

Example Sentences

1 shown

看到这幅画，她不禁露出了微笑。

Seeing this painting, she couldn't help but smile.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 不禁

弱不禁风

ruò bù jīn fēng

too weak to stand up to the wind (idiom); extremely delicate

忍俊不禁

rěn jùn bù jīn

cannot help laughing

Child Words of 不禁

no; not so

to endure

to prohibit