情不自禁

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: qíng bù zì jīn
• English Translation: Unconsciously, involuntarily, unable to restrain oneself
• Idiom Composition: 「情」（Emotion, feeling）＋「不」（Cannot, not able to）＋「自」（On one's own, by oneself）＋「禁」（To restrain, to control）
• Meaning: Describes a state where one cannot control their emotions and involuntarily takes an action. It refers to being driven by strong feelings beyond one's conscious control.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「情不自禁」 contains the following nuances:

• Emotional intensity: Represents a state where strong emotions such as joy, sadness, anger, or excitement arise.
• Unconscious action: Means that despite attempts to control with reason, emotions prevail and one acts involuntarily.
• Natural reaction: Suggests a reaction that arises naturally from emotions rather than a conscious decision.

3. Usage

「情不自禁」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Describing actions driven by emotions: Used to describe involuntary actions caused by strong emotions.
  • Example:「听到这个好消息，她情不自禁地跳了起来。」
    （Upon hearing the good news, she couldn't help but jump up.）
• Expressing empathy or understanding: Also used to express empathy or understanding that it is natural for someone to be emotionally moved in a certain situation.
  • Example:「看到孩子们天真无邪的笑容，谁都会情不自禁地感到快乐。」
    （Seeing the children's innocent smiles, anyone would unconsciously feel happy.）

Additional Examples:

1. 看到久别重逢的老友，他情不自禁地拥抱了对方。
   （Seeing an old friend after a long time, he couldn't help but hug them.）
2. 看到孩子们的表演，家长们情不自禁地鼓掌喝彩。
   （Watching the children's performance, the parents couldn't help but applaud and cheer.）
3. 面对如此美丽的风景，游客们情不自禁地拿出手机拍照。
   （Faced with such beautiful scenery, the tourists couldn't help but take out their phones to take pictures.）
4. 听到感人的故事，他情不自禁地流下了眼泪。
   （Hearing the touching story, he couldn't help but shed tears.）
5. 当他得知自己获奖的消息时，他情不自禁地欢呼起来。
   （When he learned he had won the award, he couldn't help but cheer.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• In Chinese culture, openly expressing emotions is not necessarily viewed negatively. The idiom '情不自禁' is often seen positively as a natural expression of human feelings.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 情难自禁 (qíng nán zì jīn): Difficult to restrain one's emotions. Similar in meaning to '情不自禁' but emphasizes the difficulty of controlling feelings.
  • 心潮澎湃 (xīn cháo péng pài): Describes a heart surging with intense emotions, indicating a state of great emotional excitement.
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 无动于衷 (wú dòng yú zhōng): Indifferent and unmoved. In contrast to '情不自禁', it describes a state where emotions are not affected at all.
  • 泰然自若 (tài rán zì ruò): Calm and composed, not disturbed. Describes maintaining composure without being swayed by emotions, unlike '情不自禁'.

6. Summary

'情不自禁' is a vivid idiom that describes the natural outburst of human emotions. Using this expression allows for more lively depiction of characters' feelings and people's reactions to situations. It also provides important insight into the value of emotional expression in Chinese culture.