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忍俊不禁

Mandarin · pinyin rěn jùn bù jīn

cannot help laughing
unable to restrain a smile

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Characters in this entry

忍: rěn · endure, bear, suffer; forbear
俊: jùn · talented, capable; handsome
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
禁: jìn · restrict, prohibit, forbid

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–4–1 · ren3 jun4 bu4 jin1

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jan2 zeon3 bat1 gam1

Cantonese word readings for 忍俊不禁. 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 fail to keep from laughing; to be unable to suppress a smile

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

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