不住 (bù zhù) — (complement) cannot stop V-ing; V endlessly

Definition

不住 (bù zhù) is a verbal complement placed after a verb to mean the action 'can't stop' or goes on endlessly (e.g., 哭个不停, 忍不住). It is not a particle meaning 'not live' — that is a different 不住.

particle
(complement) cannot stop V-ingV endlessly

Examples

  • 。
    Tā rěn bù zhù xiào le qǐ lái.
    He couldn't help laughing.
  • 不住，。
    Chē tíng bù zhù le, qián miàn yǒu hóng dēng.
    The car couldn't stop; there was a red light ahead.
  • 不住，。
    Tā kū gè bù zhù, shuí quàn dōu méi yòng.
    She cried endlessly; no one's advice helped.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不bùnot
住zhùstop

不 'not' and 住 'stop' mean unable to stop.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
主
主zhǔ住zhù
Same sound today

住 pairs 亻, the person radical (written fully as 人), with 主, which supplies the sound.

Open 住 →

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