泡汤 fall flat
【注音】pào tāng
【解释】北方话还可以说“黄了”,也就是事情落空了,没有指望了。
There’s another expression in northern dialect——huang le,which means the same:something fall through or becomes hopeless。
【例子】
例:他说要研究研究,就是说我们的事情要泡汤了。
Ex.:He said that they would discuss it,but the hidden message is that it’s going to fall through。
碰钉子 meet with a rebuff
【注音】pèng dīngzi
【例子】
例:周医生下岗以后,去了好几个医院找工作都碰了钉子。
Ex.:After being laid-off, Doctor Zhou has tried a number of hospitals for employment, but all met with rebuff.