情不自禁 qíngbúzìjīn cannot refrain from
(idiom) cannot refrain from; cannot help; cannot but
How to remember 情不自禁: 情 feeling + 不 not + 自 self + 禁 to restrict = cannot refrain from.
Characters
How it is used
- Idiom: can't help oneself, swept up by emotion - 她情不自禁地流下眼泪 (tā qíngbúzìjīn de liúxià yǎnlèi) she couldn't hold back her tears.
- The emotion overrides self-control (禁 = to restrain); used adverbially with 地 before the action.
- Compare 忍不住 (rěnbuzhù, couldn't resist), which is plainer/more colloquial; 情不自禁 stresses being carried away by feeling.
Example sentences
- 对不起， 我情不自禁。 Duìbùqǐ, wǒ qíngbúzìjīn.Sorry, I couldn't help it.