抑制

• Pinyin: yì zhì
• Hanzi breakdown: 抑 = 扌+ 卬 (hand + upward gaze — pressing down); 制 = 刀 + 未 (knife + tree — to cut and shape, to control)

Meaning

To suppress; to inhibit; to hold back or restrain an emotion, process, growth, or biological function.

Used in both emotional and scientific contexts. Emotionally: 抑制悲伤 (suppress grief), 无法抑制喜悦 (unable to contain joy). Scientifically: 抑制细菌生长 (inhibit bacterial growth), 抑制神经活动 (suppress neural activity), 免疫抑制 (immunosuppression). In psychology: 抑制冲动 (impulse control). A versatile formal verb for contexts requiring precision.

Examples

1. 科学家发现，这种化合物能有效抑制癌细胞的增殖，同时对正常细胞的损伤极为有限，具有较高的临床开发价值。 Scientists found that this compound can effectively inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells while causing extremely limited damage to normal cells, giving it strong potential for clinical development.
2. 他极力抑制内心的激动，用平静的语气向团队宣布了公司成功上市的消息，整个会议室随即爆发出热烈的掌声。 He did everything he could to suppress his excitement and announced the company’s successful IPO to the team in a calm tone; the meeting room immediately erupted in warm applause.
3. 中央银行连续三次加息，旨在抑制通货膨胀的进一步蔓延，保护普通民众的购买力不受持续侵蚀。 The central bank raised interest rates three times in a row to curb further inflation and protect ordinary people’s purchasing power from being steadily eroded.

Usage Guide

Context: science, medicine, economics, psychology, emotional description

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 新研发的免疫调节药物在临床试验中表现出显著的抑制炎症因子活性的能力，有望为自身免疫性疾病的治疗提供新的突破口。(The newly developed immunomodulatory drug has demonstrated a significant ability to suppress the activity of inflammatory cytokines in clinical trials and is expected to offer a new breakthrough for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.)
• 面对突如其来的噩耗，她拼命抑制着哽咽，强撑着完成了整个颁奖典礼上的致辞，台下的观众无不为之动容。(Confronted with the sudden tragic news, she desperately suppressed her sobs and forced herself to complete her speech at the entire award ceremony, moving every member of the audience to their core.)

Don't Say

• 我抑制不了我的笑 — while understandable, this phrasing is unnatural; say 我忍不住笑了 or 我止不住地想笑 for natural expression of uncontrollable laughter

Origin & History

抑 (to press down/suppress — 扌hand + 卬 upward look; pressing back what would rise) + 制 (to control/regulate — structured force shaping and constraining)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal