Definition
忍俊不禁 is a formal, literary four-character idiom meaning 'can't help laughing'. It is used when something is so amusing that you are unable to suppress a smile or laughter, often in written or elevated speech. The literal breakdown ('endure cleverness cannot stop') hints at its origin in Tang dynasty poetry, but learners should treat it as a fixed expression richer than the plain verb 忍不住笑.
f.e.
to be unable to suppress a smile or laughtercan't help laughing
Examples
- ，忍俊不禁。Kàndào tā nà huájī de yàngzi, wǒ rěn jùn bù jīn.Seeing his funny expression, I couldn't help laughing.
- 忍俊不禁。Zhè bù diànyǐng de yōumò qíngjié ràng guānzhòng rěn jùn bù jīn.The humorous plot of this movie made the audience laugh uncontrollably.
- ，忍俊不禁。Lǎoshī jiǎng xiàohua shí, quán bān tóngxué dōu rěn jùn bù jīn.When the teacher told a joke, the whole class couldn't help laughing.
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