不能自己 (bù néng zì jǐ) — cannot help oneself; involuntarily; can't control one's own actions

Definition

A fixed phrase meaning 'can't help / unable to control oneself' — used when an emotion or impulse takes over (crying, laughing, etc.). Verb-object structure: 自己 is the object of 不能.

verb
cannot help oneselfinvoluntarilycan't control one's own actions

Examples

  • ，不能自己。
    Tā tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, bù néng zì jǐ dì kū le qǐ lái.
    He heard the news and couldn't help crying.
  • ，不能自己。
    Kàn dào nà gǎn rén de diàn yǐng, wǒ bù néng zì jǐ liú xià le yǎn lèi.
    Seeing that touching movie, I involuntarily shed tears.
  • 不能自己，。
    Tā bù néng zì jǐ dì xiào le qǐ lái, bǎ dà jiā dōu dòu lè le.
    She couldn't help laughing, and everyone was amused.

Origin

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 →

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

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

Open 能 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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

The 己 shape is a picture of a silk rope used to bind objects.

Open 己 →

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