Definition
扑空 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to fail to find someone at home or to miss an opportunity because you arrived too late or the target was gone'. The verb 扑 ('to pounce') and 空 ('empty') split when you add duration or measure words: 扑了个空 ('came and found nobody'), 扑过几次空 ('missed several times'). It's often used when you go somewhere specifically to see someone or get something, but it's not there.
v.o.
to miss someone (by arriving when they're not there)to come up empty-handed (after making an effort)
Examples
- ，扑空。Wǒ qù tā jiā zhǎo tā, jiéguǒ yòu pū kōng le.I went to his place to find him, but he was out again.
- ，。Jīntiān qù shūdiàn mǎi nà běn shū, méi xiǎngdào yòu pū le ge kōng.I went to the bookstore for that book today, but unexpectedly it was sold out again.
- 扑空，。Tā pǎo le hǎo jǐ jiā diàn dōu pū kōng, zuìhòu cái zhǎodào.He went to several stores and came up empty each time before finally finding it.
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