Writing
忍不住 (rěn bu zhù) — how to say "cannot help" in Chinese
忍不住
Cannot help (doing), cannot bear
Character composition
忍
to endure
不
not
住
to live; to hold
Radicals / Keys
心
Heart
#61 · xīn · 4 strokes
一
One
#1 · yī · 1 stroke
人
Man
#9 · rén · 2 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
忍不住问
rěn bu zhù wèn
can't help asking
忍不住笑
rěn bu zhù xiào
can't help laughing
忍不住哭
rěn bu zhù kū
can't help crying
Examples
看到小猫可爱的样子，他忍不住过去摸了摸它。
Seeing the kitten's cute appearance, he couldn't help but go over and pet it.
我忍不住笑了。
I couldn't help laughing.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "cannot help" in Chinese?
"cannot help" in Chinese is 忍不住 (rěn bu zhù).
What does 忍不住 mean in English?
忍不住 (rěn bu zhù) means "Cannot help (doing), cannot bear".
How is 忍不住 pronounced?
It is pronounced rěn bu zhù (written as ren bu zhu, renbuzhu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "cannot help" in Chinese characters?
It is written 忍不住: 忍 has 7 strokes, 不 has 4 strokes, 住 has 7 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 忍不住?
忍不住 belongs to the HSK 5 vocabulary list.
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