情不自禁

• Pinyin: qíng bù zì jīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 情 = 忄+ 青 (emotion); 不 (negation); 自 = 自 (self); 禁 = 示 + 林 (restrain/forbid)

Meaning

Unable to restrain oneself; overcome by emotion to the point of acting involuntarily. An idiom describing when feeling compels an uncontrolled response.

A four-character idiom describing an emotional response so overwhelming that self-control fails. Typically followed by a verb phrase describing the resulting action. Used for joyful emotions (laughter, tears of joy) as well as sorrowful ones (weeping, longing).

Examples

1. 听到这首多年未闻的老歌，她情不自禁地流下了眼泪，往昔岁月历历在目。 Hearing this old song she hadn’t heard in years, she couldn’t help but cry, and the past came back as clearly as yesterday.
2. 台下观众被演员精湛的表演深深打动，纷纷情不自禁地鼓起掌来，久久不息。 Moved by the actors’ superb performance, the audience couldn’t help but break into applause that went on and on.
3. 看到孩子摔倒后又倔强地爬起来继续向前，在场的父母情不自禁地相视而笑。 When the child fell and then stubbornly got back up to keep going, the parents present couldn’t help exchanging a smile.

Usage Guide

Context: emotion, literature, social, daily life

Tone: expressive

Do Say

• 故事结局太过感人，她读到最后情不自禁地哭出声来，泪水打湿了手中的书页。(The ending of the story was so moving that she couldn't help crying aloud when she reached the final page, her tears soaking the paper.)
• 久别重逢的老同学情不自禁地紧紧相拥，多年积压的思念在这一刻化为无声的温度。(Old classmates reuniting after a long separation couldn't help embracing tightly, years of pent-up longing dissolving in that moment into wordless warmth.)

Don't Say

• 他情不自禁地迟到了 — 情不自禁 describes emotional impulses only, not careless actions; use 不由自主 for habit-driven involuntary behaviour, and neither for simple negligence

Origin & History

情 (emotion) + 不 (not) + 自 (self) + 禁 (restrain) — the emotion will not allow itself to be restrained

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal