不禁
bù jīn
Can't help but, involuntarily
不禁 (bù jīn) — can't help doing
Subject + 不禁 (bùjīn)/赶忙 (gǎnmáng)/特地 (tèdì)/特意 (tèyì)/偷偷 (tōutōu) + Verb
HSK 63.0
Pattern diagram
Who / what不禁赶忙特地特意偷偷Action
Rule structure
不禁 (bùjīn) means “involuntarily”, and 赶忙 (gǎnmáng) means “hurriedly, in response to a situation”. 赶忙 (gǎn máng) is used in narration rather than commands; use 赶快 (gǎnkuài) to ask someone to hurry. 特地 (tèdì) and 特意 (tèyì) mean “specially, for a particular purpose”, while 偷偷 (tōutōu) means “secretly”. These adverbs precede an action but are not synonyms.
Rule structure
不禁 (bùjīn) means “involuntarily”, and 赶忙 (gǎnmáng) means “hurriedly, in response to a situation”. 赶忙 (gǎn máng) is used in narration rather than commands; use 赶快 (gǎnkuài) to ask someone to hurry. 特地 (tèdì) and 特意 (tèyì) mean “specially, for a particular purpose”, while 偷偷 (tōutōu) means “secretly”. These adverbs precede an action but are not synonyms.
Examples
听到这个笑话，她不禁笑了起来。
Tīngdào zhège xiàohua, tā bùjīn xiào le qǐlai.
On hearing this joke, she couldn’t help laughing.
Examples
听到这个笑话，她不禁笑了起来。
Tīngdào zhège xiàohua, tā bùjīn xiào le qǐlai.
On hearing this joke, she couldn’t help laughing.
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Words from this rule
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “can't help doing” in Chinese with 不禁?
Use the structure: Subject + 不禁 (bùjīn)/赶忙 (gǎnmáng)/特地 (tèdì)/特意 (tèyì)/偷偷 (tōutōu) + Verb. For example: 听到这个笑话，她不禁笑了起来。 — “On hearing this joke, she couldn’t help laughing”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
听到这个笑话，她不禁笑了起来。 — “On hearing this joke, she couldn’t help laughing”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Level 6.
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More HSK 3.0 Level 6 grammar rules
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一再 — again and again
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凡是 — all, every
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干脆 — just do it
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一时 vs 一度 — temporary vs once
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