Definition
泡汤 literally means 'to soak in hot water' but is now used idiomatically to mean 'plans fall through' or 'come to nothing'. It is a separable verb (离合词): when adding aspect (了, 过) or time duration, the verb 泡 and the object 汤 split — e.g. 泡了汤 ('fell through'). The literal 'soak in hot water' sense is rare in modern speech; the idiomatic sense is the dominant one.
idiom
to fall throughto come to nothing (plans, projects)
Examples
- 。Wǒ de jìhuà pào le tāng.My plan fell through.
- 泡汤。Zhè cì lǚxíng pào tāng le.This trip fell through.
- ，泡汤。Yīnwèi xià yǔ, wǒmen de yěcān pào tāng le.Because of rain, our picnic fell through.
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