忍
不
住

About

The word 忍不住 is formed by combining the character 忍 (meaning 'to endure' or 'bear'), the negation 不 (meaning 'not'), and the complement 住 (which here denotes cessation or holding). This structure literally expresses "cannot endure to stop", resulting in the meaning of being unable to refrain from an action or feeling.

Example Sentences Hide

看到他的表演，我忍不住笑了。

kàn dào tā de biǎo yǎn, wǒ rěn bù zhù xiào le.

Seeing his performance, I couldn't help but laugh.

那个孩子太可爱了，我忍不住想抱抱他。

nà ge hái zi tài kě ài le, wǒ rěn bù zhù xiǎng bào bao tā.

That child is so adorable, I can't resist wanting to hug him.

听到这个悲伤的消息，她忍不住流下了眼泪。

tīng dào zhè ge bēi shāng de xiāo xi, tā rěn bù zhù liú xià le yǎn lèi.

Hearing this sad news, she couldn't hold back her tears.

每次路过那家面包店，我都忍不住要买一个蛋糕。

měi cì lù guò nà jiā miàn bāo diàn, wǒ dōu rěn bù zhù yào mǎi yí ge dàn gāo.

Every time I pass that bakery, I can't resist buying a cake.

尽管知道不应该打断别人说话，他还是忍不住发表了自己的意见。

jǐn guǎn zhī dào bù yīng gāi dǎ duàn bié rén shuō huà, tā hái shì rěn bù zhù fā biǎo le zì jǐ de yì jiàn.

Even though he knew he shouldn't interrupt others, he still couldn't help but express his own opinion.

Word Definition - 忍不住

rěn bu zhù cannot help; unable to bear

Individual Character Details

忍 rěn
不 bù
住 zhù