总不能…吧
surely (we) can't just …; (we) can hardly …
Structure
（主语）＋ 总不能 ＋ 做法 ＋ 吧
What it means
Rules out a course of action as unthinkable, so the listener accepts the other one: “surely we can’t just …”.
How it is built
(Subject) + 总不能 + action + 吧: 钱是借来的，总不能不还吧 (The money was borrowed; you can’t just not pay it back).
When to use it
Spoken and persuasive. 总 means “after all, whatever happens”; 吧 softens it and invites agreement, with ？ or 。. Formal writing makes the point with 岂能… or 怎能….
Watch out
Don’t confuse it with 总是不能 (never manages to): 他总是不能按时到 complains about a habit; it is not an argument for doing something else.
Examples
下这么大的雨，总不能让孩子一个人走回家吧？
In rain like this, we can hardly let the child walk home alone, can we?
钱是借来的，总不能不还吧。
The money was borrowed; you can't just not pay it back.
都等了一个小时了，我们总不能一直这样等下去吧，先给他打个电话。
We've waited an hour already. We can't go on waiting for ever; let's ring him.
Learn this in Lesson 154 · HSK 7–9: 拨打120 (Calling 120)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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