Can’t help but (不禁)

Structure 不禁 + spontaneous reaction (verb)

不禁 (bùjīn) describes a reaction that comes out on its own, that you can’t hold back: "couldn’t help but…". 听到这个消息，我不禁笑了 = "on hearing the news, I couldn’t help laughing". It goes before the reaction verb (笑, 哭, 想起…). It’s somewhat literary; in everyday speech 忍不住 is used. Note: 禁 here reads jīn (first tone), not jìn.

Examples

听tīng到dào这zhè个ge消xiāo息xi，我wǒ不bù禁jīn笑xiào了le。
On hearing the news, I couldn’t help laughing.
看kàn到dào这zhè一yī幕mù，她tā不bù禁jīn流liú下xià了le眼yǎn泪lèi。
Seeing that scene, she couldn’t help shedding tears.
想xiǎng起qǐ小xiǎo时shí候hou，我wǒ不bù禁jīn笑xiào出chū声shēng来lái。
Remembering my childhood, I couldn’t help laughing out loud.

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