忍不住 (rěnbuzhù) · can't help (doing)

忍不住 (rěnbuzhù) means “can't help (doing); unable to bear”. It is written with 3 characters: 忍 (to endure) + 不 (not) + 住 (to live). It is an old HSK 5 word (HSK 2.0).

How 忍不住 is built

The characters

忍 rěn · to endure

What 忍 is made of

刃rèn — edged tool
- 刀dāo — knife
  - 丿 — falling stroke
- 丶 — dot
心xīn — heart

不 bù · not

What 不 is made of

一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A bird flying toward the sky 一 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

住 zhù · to live

What 住 is made of

亻rén — person
主zhǔ — to own
- 丶 — dot
- 王wáng — king
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 土tǔ — earth

Origin hint: A person 亻 who hosts 主; 主 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

听了这个笑话，大家都忍不住笑了。Tīng le zhège xiàohuà, dàjiā dōu rěnbuzhù xiào le.Everyone couldn't help laughing at the joke.

她忍不住哭了起来。Tā rěnbuzhù kū le qǐlai.She couldn't hold back her tears.

Questions about 忍不住

What does 忍不住 mean?

忍不住 (rěnbuzhù) means “can't help (doing); unable to bear”.

How do you pronounce 忍不住?

忍不住 is pronounced rěnbuzhù.

Which HSK level is 忍不住?

忍不住 is in Old HSK 5.

Related words

Learn 忍不住 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 5 · Group 79: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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