赞叹不已

• Pinyin: zàn tàn bù yǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 赞叹 = to exclaim in admiration; 不 = not/without; 已 = 己 (to cease/stop)

Meaning

To be filled with endless admiration; to marvel without stopping. An intensified expression indicating that one's admiration is so deep it cannot be exhausted.

A fixed phrase combining 赞叹 (to admire/exclaim) with 不已 (without stopping/incessantly). Used when ordinary admiration is insufficient to convey how profound the impression is. Very common in formal writing, journalism, and literary description.

Examples

1. 国际访客对故宫建筑群的宏伟规模与精湛雕刻工艺赞叹不已，驻足流连。 International visitors marveled at the Forbidden City’s grand scale and exquisite carvings, lingering there for a long time.
2. 老师看过学生的毕业创作后赞叹不已，认为其突破了同龄人的普遍认知局限。 After seeing the student’s graduation project, the teacher couldn’t stop praising it, saying it broke through the usual limitations of people that age.
3. 舞台特效与演员表演的高度配合让全场观众赞叹不已，演出结束后仍久久回味。 The seamless coordination between the stage effects and the performers left the whole audience in awe, and they kept thinking about it long after the show ended.

Usage Guide

Context: culture, tourism, art, achievement

Tone: deeply appreciative

Do Say

• 外国专家代表团参观完这片大规模沙漠治理工程后，对中国的治沙成就赞叹不已。(After visiting the large-scale desert reclamation project, the foreign expert delegation was filled with endless admiration for China's achievements in sand control.)
• 观众对这位花样滑冰运动员无懈可击的自由滑表演赞叹不已，全场自发起立鼓掌。(The audience was filled with boundless admiration for the figure skater's flawless free skate performance and the entire venue spontaneously rose to its feet in applause.)

Don't Say

• 赞叹不已地批评 — 不已 signals unceasing positive admiration; the phrase is incompatible with criticism or negative assessments of any kind

Origin & History

赞叹 (exclaim in admiration) + 不已 (without stopping/ceasing)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal