📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a state where one's emotions are so overwhelming that they cannot be controlled or restrained. It emphasizes being completely overtaken by a particular feeling, whether joy, sorrow, anger, or excitement, to the point of involuntary expression. The focus is on the irresistible nature of the emotional response.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a poem titled 'Threading the Needle on Qixi Festival' (七夕穿针) by Liu Zun of the Liang Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties period. The poem contains the line 'Walking under the moon as if with intention, emotions arise and cannot be restrained.' The Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, was a traditional occasion for women to thread needles and pray for dexterity. The phrase later evolved into the common idiom '情不自禁,' widely used to describe feelings that overpower one's self-control.
💡 Example Usage
听到这个好消息，她情不自禁地笑了起来。
Hearing the good news, she couldn't help but smile.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 情不自禁
- Pinyin: qíng bù zì jìn
- Literal Translation: emotion, cannot, self, restrain
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4