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不能自已

Mandarin · pinyin bù néng zì yǐ

unable to control oneself
to be beside oneself

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
能: néng · to be able; can, permitted to; ability
自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
已: yǐ · already; finished; stop

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–3 · bu4 neng2 zi4 yi3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 nang4 zi6 ji5

Cantonese word readings for 不能自已. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to be unable to control one's intense emotions

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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