tā bùnéng kòngzhì zìjǐ.

Mandarin word order here is actually very close to English:

• 他 = he
• 不能 = cannot
• 控制 = control
• 自己 = himself / oneself

So the pattern is:

subject + modal verb + main verb + object

That is a very common Mandarin structure:

• 我能看见你。 = I can see you.
• 他不能来。 = He cannot come.

In this sentence, 不能 is the modal verb, so it comes before the main verb 控制.

不能 means cannot / be unable to / not be allowed to, depending on context.

In 他不能控制自己, it usually means he is unable to control himself.

A useful comparison:

• 不能 = cannot, is unable to, is not in a position to
• 不会 = do not know how to, will not, am not likely to
• 不可以 = may not, not allowed

So here:

• 他不能控制自己。 = He cannot control himself.
• 他不会控制自己。 would sound more like he doesn’t know how to control himself.
• 他不可以控制自己。 would sound odd in this context, because it suggests he is not allowed to control himself, which is probably not what you want.

The tone of 不 changes only in certain situations.

Normally, 不 is fourth tone: bù.

It changes to second tone bú only when it comes before another fourth-tone syllable.

Examples:

• 不是 → bú shì because 是 is fourth tone
• 不要 → bú yào because 要 is fourth tone

But in 不能, the second syllable 能 is second tone, not fourth tone, so 不 stays bù:

• 不能 = bùnéng

自己 is the common Mandarin reflexive pronoun, meaning self, oneself, myself, yourself, himself, herself, etc. The exact English translation depends on who it refers to.

In this sentence, 自己 refers back to 他, so it means himself:

• 他不能控制自己。 = He cannot control himself.

The same word is used with other subjects too:

• 我不能控制自己。 = I cannot control myself.
• 你不能控制自己。 = You cannot control yourself.

So Mandarin does not usually change the reflexive form the way English does.

Yes, you can. 他自己 is possible and often adds emphasis.

Compare:

• 他不能控制自己。 = neutral, natural
• 他不能控制他自己。 = He cannot control himself himself / emphasizes that it is he himself

In many ordinary sentences, just 自己 is smoother and more natural. Adding 他 before 自己 can make the sentence feel more emphatic or contrastive.

Very often, yes, but not always in every possible sentence.

In a simple sentence like this one, 自己 naturally refers to the subject:

• 他不能控制自己。 Here, 自己 = 他自己

But in longer sentences, 自己 can sometimes refer to different people depending on context. That is one reason it can be tricky for learners.

For this sentence, though, there is no real ambiguity: 自己 clearly means himself.

Yes, 控制 is a very common verb. It means to control.

It can be used in many situations:

• 控制情绪 = control one’s emotions
• 控制自己 = control oneself
• 控制局面 = control the situation
• 控制成本 = control costs

In this sentence, 控制自己 often means controlling one’s emotions, actions, impulses, or behavior.

No, 控制自己 is completely natural Mandarin.

It is a standard way to say that someone cannot restrain their feelings, behavior, temper, impulses, and so on.

Depending on context, Mandarin might also use other expressions, for example:

• 忍不住 = cannot help it / cannot restrain oneself
• 克制自己 = restrain oneself
• 管住自己 = keep oneself in check

But 控制自己 is normal and easy to understand.

In speech, 他, 她, and 它 are all pronounced tā.

So when spoken, tā bùnéng kòngzhì zìjǐ could theoretically mean:

• he cannot control himself/herself
• she cannot control herself
• it cannot control itself

In writing, the character tells you which one is meant:

• 他 = he
• 她 = she
• 它 = it

In your sentence, since the character is 他, it means he.

Yes, if the context is already clear.

Mandarin often drops subjects when they are understood. So in conversation, you might hear:

• 不能控制自己。

This can mean can’t control himself / myself / yourself, depending on context.

But when you want a complete standalone sentence, keeping 他 is best:

• 他不能控制自己。

Mandarin works differently from English here. Instead of having separate forms like myself, yourself, himself, herself, Mandarin usually uses the single reflexive word 自己.

You figure out who it refers to from the subject or the context:

• 我自己 = myself
• 你自己 = yourself
• 他自己 = himself
• 她自己 = herself

And very often, just 自己 is enough if the subject is already clear.

Yes. 能 is the core modal verb, and 不 negates it:

• 能控制自己 = can control oneself
• 不能控制自己 = cannot control oneself

So 不能 is not a single indivisible word in the same way as some English words; it is literally:

• 不 = not
• 能 = can / be able to

Together they function as cannot.

By itself, 他不能控制自己。 is neutral and grammatical. In real speech, context gives it emotional force.

For example:

• 听到这个消息后，他不能控制自己。 After hearing the news, he couldn’t control himself.
• 他气得不能控制自己。 He was so angry that he couldn’t control himself.
• 看到她以后，他就不能控制自己了。 After seeing her, he just couldn’t control himself anymore.

So the sentence is fine on its own, but it often appears with extra context showing why he cannot control himself.