欲罢不能 (yù bà bù néng) — unable to stop despite wanting to; can't help but continue (of an irresistible activity or situation)

Definition

Idiom meaning 'want to stop but can't' — something is so engaging (a novel, game, show) that you can't pull yourself away, even when you should.

idiom
unable to stop despite wanting tocan't help but continue (of an irresistible activity or situation)

Examples

  • ，欲罢不能。
    Zhè běn xiǎo shuō qíng jié tài jīng cǎi le, ràng rén yù bà bù néng.
    This novel's plot is so gripping that you can't put it down.
  • 欲罢不能，。
    Tā wán yóu xì wán dé yù bà bù néng, lián fàn dōu wàng le chī.
    He was so hooked on the game that he even forgot to eat.
  • ，欲罢不能。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de xuán niàn shè jì dé jí hǎo, guān zhòng kàn dé yù bà bù néng.
    The suspense in this movie is brilliantly crafted — the audience couldn't stop watching.

Origin

Characters in this word

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
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ欲yù
Same sound today

欲 is made of 谷, which supplies the sound, and 欠, which relates to the meaning.

Open 欲 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 罷; 罢 is its simplified writing.

The story is about the traditional form 罷: 网 (a net) and 能 are placed together to show catching a bear with a net. The simplified 罢 is a later abbreviation.

Open 罢 →

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 →

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