The expression を禁じ得ない (をきんじえない) is a formal, literary expression meaning "cannot help but feel ~" or "cannot hold back ~." It is used when an emotion or reaction wells up so strongly that one cannot suppress or restrain it. The verb means "to prohibit / to restrain," and (えない) means "cannot," so literally it means "cannot restrain ~."
This grammar point is almost exclusively used with nouns expressing emotions or feelings, such as (tears), (anger), (surprise), (sympathy), (laughter), and (being moved/touched).
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I cannot help but be moved by his efforts.
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Upon hearing this news, I cannot hold back my anger.
Usage notes
- This expression is highly formal and literary. It appears frequently in written language such as essays, newspaper editorials, speeches, and formal commentary. It is rarely used in casual conversation.
- The particle marks the emotion being suppressed, and it always precedes .
- A related and slightly less formal expression is ～ずにはいられない or ～ないではいられない, which also conveys the idea of "cannot help but ~" but is used with verbs rather than emotion nouns.
- The reading of here is えない, not うない.
Common emotion nouns used with を禁じ得ない
- を禁じ得ない – cannot hold back tears
- を禁じ得ない – cannot suppress one's anger
- を禁じ得ない – cannot help but be surprised
- を禁じ得ない – cannot help but laugh
- を禁じ得ない – cannot help but feel sympathy
- を禁じ得ない – cannot help but be moved
- を禁じ得ない – cannot suppress one's indignation
- を禁じ得ない – cannot help feeling uneasy
、。
Listening to her speech, I could not hold back my tears.
Lingaku