欲罢不能 — “Unable to stop even if one wants to”

Yan Hui, a native of Lu, studied under Confucius along with his father, Yan Lu. After a period of study, Yan Hui sighed, "The principles taught by our Master, the more I look up to them, the higher they seem; the more I delve into them, the deeper they feel. They appear to be right in front, then suddenly behind. Our Master guides me step by step, opening my wisdom with words and restraining my conduct with ritual and righteousness. Now, even if I wanted to stop learning, I cannot (欲罢不能). Although I have exerted all my strength, I am still far from the Master's teachings. I wish to follow, but always feel I cannot keep up."

Yan Hui was very poor, often living on a small bowl of rice, a gourd of water, and a simple dwelling. Others could not endure such hardship, but he found joy in it. Confucius praised him greatly.

Later, Yan Hui passed away. One day, Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius, "Among your disciples, who was the most eager to learn?" Confucius replied, "There was a student named Yan Hui who was eager to learn. He never lost his temper indiscriminately and never made the same mistake twice. Unfortunately, he died young! There is no one else as eager to learn now."