てばかりはいられない
Expresses that one cannot afford to keep doing only one thing, because circumstances require moving on or taking other action. Often used as a self-admonition.
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Used in both speech and writing to say that continuing only one activity or emotional state is no longer acceptable given the circumstances. It often implies the speaker's resolve to change course, as when an approaching exam makes play unacceptable. Unlike てはいられない, the added ばかり stresses doing that one thing exclusively or continuously.
Do not attach it to the dictionary form; it requires the て形 (遊んでばかりはいられない, not 遊ぶばかりはいられない).
Do not confuse it with ずにはいられない, which means being unable to stop oneself from doing something, the opposite idea.
Note that ばかり is essential here; without it, the nuance of doing only that one thing is lost.
- てはいられないN2てはいられない has no ばかり and negates the action or state itself, meaning 'can't keep doing... any longer'; it can also express being too anxious to stay in a certain state, as in じっとしてはいられない。
- ないではいられないN2ないではいられない attaches to the ない form of a verb and expresses being unable to suppress an emotional impulse, doing something because one can't help it; てばかりはいられない attaches to the て form and means circumstances don't allow doing something endlessly. Their meanings are nearly opposite and they cannot be swapped.
- ずにはいられないN3ずにはいられない attaches to the verb's ない form minus ない (する→せず) and means one cannot help but do something; てばかりはいられない attaches to the て form and means circumstances don't allow doing only that one thing. Their meanings are nearly opposite and they cannot be swapped.
- どころではないN2どころではない negates doing the thing itself, meaning one has no capacity to do it at all; it can also attach to nouns and adjectives, and additionally carries the sense of 'not merely / far more than' as a degree expression. てばかりはいられない negates only the endless continuation, so the two should not be swapped.
- わけにはいかないN3わけにはいかない attaches to the dictionary form or ない form and means one cannot do something for social or moral reasons (with the ない form it means one must do it), negating the action itself; only when phrased as てばかりいるわけにはいかない does it come close in meaning to this pattern.
てはいられない says one cannot afford to keep doing something, while てばかりはいられない adds the idea of doing only that. ないではいられない and ずにはいられない mean one cannot help doing something, and どころではない says the situation leaves no room for something at all. わけにはいかない means something cannot be done for social or moral reasons.
