不由得 (bù yóu dé)

Basic Explanation

"不由得" means "can't help but" or "can't refrain from" in Chinese. It is used to express an involuntary reaction or feeling in response to something.

Usage

"不由得" is often used to indicate an involuntary action or emotion caused by external stimuli. Here are some examples:

• Expressing involuntary action:

  Example: 看到这么美丽的风景，他不由得感叹起来。
  (Kàn dào zhème měilì de fēngjǐng, tā bù yóu dé gǎntàn qǐlái.)
  - Seeing such a beautiful scenery, he couldn't help but sigh.

• Expressing involuntary emotion:

  Example: 听到这个消息，她不由得泪流满面。
  (Tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, tā bù yóu dé lèi liú mǎn miàn.)
  - Upon hearing this news, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Examples

Here are some example sentences with "不由得" to help understand its usage:

• 面对如此压抑的气氛，他不由得感到有些沮丧。
  (Miàn duì rúcǐ yāyì de qìfēn, tā bù yóu dé gǎndào yǒuxiē jǔsuàng.)
  - Faced with such a depressing atmosphere, he couldn't help but feel a little disheartened.
• 在这种情况下，我不由得想起了过去的往事。
  (Zài zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng xià, wǒ bù yóu dé xiǎng qǐle guòqù de wǎngshì.)
  - In this situation, I couldn't help but recall past events.
• 看到她的微笑，他不由得心情愉悦了起来。
  (Kàn dào tā de wéixiào, tā bù yóu dé xīnqíng yúyuè le qǐlái.)
  - Seeing her smile, he couldn't help but feel happy.
• 她不由得被他的诚实打动了。
  (Tā bù yóu dé bèi tā de chéngshí dǎdòng le.)
  - She couldn't help but be touched by his honesty.