Gōngsī cáiyuán de tōngzhī duì yuángōngmen lái shuō shì ge qíngtiānpīlì.
The layoff notice was a thunderbolt out of the blue for the employees.
Tips
history
From Lu You's Song-dynasty poem 《四日夜鸡未鸣起作》: '放翁病过秋，忽起作醉墨。正如久蛰龙，青天飞霹雳。' Lu You compares his sudden burst of writing after illness to a thunderclap from a clear sky.
usage
Almost always introduces bad news (death, diagnosis, layoff, breakup). Commonly preceded by 犹如 / 宛如 / 就像 ('like'). Rarely used for positive surprises.
