Cannot help feeling: 〜を禁じ得ない
Emotion noun + を禁じ得ない
Emotion noun + を禁じ得ない: an emotion (anger, sympathy, tears, surprise) rises in spite of yourself at a fact. Very written; for an urge to act, you say 〜ずにはいられない.
In short
〜を禁じ得ない: being unable to hold back an emotion that rises in spite of yourself at a fact (怒り, 同情, 涙, 驚き, 失望). Literally “cannot forbid oneself X”. Very written and solemn: speeches, editorials, official comments, reviews.
- 被害者の話を聞き、怒りを禁じ得なかった。ひがいしゃのはなしをきき、いかりをきんじえなかった。Hearing the victims' accounts, I couldn't contain my anger.
- 被災地の惨状を目にして、涙を禁じ得ない。ひさいちのさんじょうをめにして、なみだをきんじえない。Seeing the devastation in the disaster areas, one cannot hold back the tears.
- 彼の不運な人生には同情を禁じ得ない。かれのふうんなじんせいにはどうじょうをきんじえない。One cannot help but feel sympathy for his unfortunate life.
The basics
禁じる is “to forbid”; 得ない, “cannot”. 〜を禁じ得ない: “I can't forbid myself X”, so X takes over in spite of me. X is always an emotion triggered by a fact: anger, sympathy, surprise, tears, worry, disappointment.
It's a formula for speeches and formal writing. A spokesperson, an editorialist or a critic uses it to express an emotion solemnly.
Hearing the victims' accounts, I couldn't contain my anger.
- verb
- noun
- particle
- grammatical form
- 被害者の話を聞き、怒りを禁じ得なかった。ひがいしゃのはなしをきき、いかりをきんじえなかった。Hearing the victims' accounts, I couldn't contain my anger.
- 政府の対応の遅さには、失望を禁じ得ない。せいふのたいおうのおそさには、しつぼうをきんじえない。The government's slow response cannot but cause deep disappointment.
How to form it
Emotion noun + を禁じ得ない. The triggering fact is often introduced by 〜には or 〜に. In the past: 禁じ得なかった. The most common nouns are grouped below.
| Noun | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 怒り | anger | 怒りを禁じ得ない |
| 同情 | sympathy | 同情を禁じ得ない |
| 涙 | tears | 涙を禁じ得ない |
| 驚き | surprise, astonishment | 驚きを禁じ得ない |
| 失望・不安 | disappointment, anxiety | 不安を禁じ得ない |
- この判決には驚きを禁じ得ない。このはんけつにはおどろきをきんじえない。This ruling cannot but cause astonishment.
- 今後の景気の行方に、不安を禁じ得ない。こんごのけいきのゆくえに、ふあんをきんじえない。One cannot help feeling some anxiety about where the economy is heading.
禁じ得ない, ずにはいられない or てやまない?
〜ずにはいられない (N2) follows a verb and describes an impulse: you can't stop yourself doing something (laughing, crying, buying). It's common, even in speech. 〜を禁じ得ない follows an emotion noun and stays very written.
〜てやまない expresses a deep, lasting feeling, often positive (願う, 祈る, 愛する): “never cease to wish”. 禁じ得ない is a one-off reaction to a specific fact.
| Expression | Construction | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| 〜を禁じ得ない | emotion noun + を | irrepressible reaction, very written |
| 〜ずにはいられない | ない-form without ない + ずに | urge to act, common |
| 〜てやまない | て-form + やまない | lasting feeling (wish, love) |
- あまりにおかしくて、笑わずにはいられなかった。あまりにおかしくて、わらわずにはいられなかった。It was so funny I couldn't help laughing.
- 皆様のご健康を願ってやみません。みなさまのごけんこうをねがってやみません。I sincerely wish you all the very best of health.
Common mistakes
- Putting a verb in front: “×泣くを禁じ得ない” is impossible; for an action, you say 泣かずにはいられない. Before を, you need an emotion noun (涙, 怒り, 同情…).
- Reading it as a prohibition: 禁じ得ない doesn't mean “it's forbidden”, but “I can't help it”.
- Using it in relaxed conversation: it sounds like an official statement.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Tōkaidō Line (The press and current affairs) of the Shinkansen.