我是被工作绊住了脚 你怎么回事
“I was tied up with work. What about you?”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
你这一下午都在房间 没出去
“You were in your room all afternoon and didn't go out?”
我是 被工作绊住了脚 你怎么回事
“I was tied up with work. What about you?”
我也做了很多事啊
“I did a lot of things too.”
“I had a valid work excuse to stay inside, so what is your excuse for doing nothing?”
In casual Chinese exchanges, offering a legitimate external constraint (such as heavy work duties) is quickly followed by turning the question back onto the interlocutor to retain parity.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to be tied down / to be held back
A vivid figurative idiom literally meaning 'to trip up one's feet', used when unexpected business or duties trap someone in place.
what is going on / what happened / what is your excuse
A standard colloquial phrase used to demand an explanation or question someone's unexpected behavior.
