find the door locked; find nobody home
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to find the door locked when visiting someone; to find nobody at home
Describes the situation when one visits someone's home but finds the door locked because the person is not there. Often implies a wasted trip.
Wǒ我
xià下
wǔ午
qù去
tā他
jiā家
，
jié结
guǒ果
zhuàng撞
suǒ锁
le了
。
I went to his house in the afternoon, but found nobody home.
Wèi为
le了
bì避
miǎn免
zhuàng撞
suǒ锁
，
zuì最
hǎo好
tí提
qián前
dǎ打
diàn电
huà话
yù预
yuē约
。
To avoid finding the door locked, it's best to call ahead and make an appointment.
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Zuó昨
tiān天
wǒ我
qù去
bài拜
fǎng访
Lǐ李
lǎo老
shī师
，
méi没
xiǎng想
dào到
zhuàng撞
suǒ锁
le了
。
Yesterday I went to visit Professor Li; I didn't expect to find the door locked.