大跌眼镜(da4die1yan3jing1)
glasses dropper
This Chinese term vividly describes a situation where you’re so stunned by something that the glasses fall from the bridge of your nose. Of course, your glasses-dropping could also be caused by the fact that your idea or prediction about something is proved to be wrong as wrong could ever be.

放鸽子(fang4ge1zi)
stand up, no-show
This Chinese term, flying a pigeon, derives from an old lottery scheme in Shanghai and the fact that the owner who sets free a trained homing pigeon would lose nothing since the bird always knows the way back home. Now, it is frequently used to describe the behavior of standing somebody up, playing no-show or offering empty promises.

倒春寒(dao3chun1han2)
cold snap in spring
Spring has come, but from time to time people still may experience cold snaps. It’s a common weather phenomenon in the city. People now, however, tend to use this term to depict unexpected setbacks in a booming business.

红眼航班(hong2yan3hang2ban1)
red-eye flight
China’s aviation regulator has lifted the ban on red-eye flights, which refers to flights departing from 12:00am to 6:00am, as passengers deplaning from such flights tend to have blood-shot and bleary eyes because of sleep deprivation.

饮水机(yin3shui3ji1)
water dispenser
Local authorities are conducting inspections of water dispensers used in offices and other public places in response to media reports that many such machines have serious quality problems that could create health risks.

装修房(zhuang1xiu1fang2)
finished apartment
The city plans to promote marketing of more finished apartments, complete with flooring, bathroom and kitchen units and painted walls and windows, in an attempt to cut down noise pollution and prevent destruction of residential buildings resulting from individuals’ random plans of installing equipment in and decorating their new homes.