Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cope accordingly; to adapt flexibly: To respond and adjust one's actions or plans quickly and effectively to unexpected situations or changing circumstances.
   • To improvise; to think on one's feet: To handle a situation without prior specific planning, using available resources and quick thinking.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Trong cuộc họp, anh ấy phải ứng biến để trả lời những câu hỏi bất ngờ. (In the meeting, he had to improvise to answer the unexpected questions.)
  • Người lãnh đạo giỏi cần có khả năng ứng biến trước mọi tình huống. (A good leader needs the ability to adapt flexibly to every situation.)
  • Chúng tôi không có kịch bản chi tiết, vì vậy sẽ phải ứng biến. (We don't have a detailed script, so we will have to improvise.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tài ứng biến": The talent/skill of improvising or adapting flexibly.
  • Một diễn viên hài cần có tài ứng biến. (A comedian needs the skill of improvisation.)
• "Khả năng ứng biến": The ability to improvise/adapt.
  • Công việc này đòi hỏi khả năng ứng biến cao. (This job requires a high ability to improvise.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ứng phó (verb): To cope with, to deal with (a situation). Often used in a broader sense than "ứng biến," which emphasizes flexibility.
  • Ứng phó với thiên tai. (To cope with natural disasters.)
• Linh hoạt (adjective): Flexible, agile. Describes the quality needed to "ứng biến."
  • Phong cách lãnh đạo linh hoạt. (A flexible leadership style.)
• Ứng tác (verb): To improvise, especially in artistic contexts like music or theater.
  • Nghệ sĩ jazz giỏi về ứng tác. (Jazz artists are good at improvising.)

Synonyms

• Đối phó linh hoạt: To deal with flexibly.
• Xoay xở: To manage, to cope (often in difficult situations).
• Thích ứng nhanh: To adapt quickly.

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Ứng biến tình huống: To improvise/adapt to the situation.
  • Anh ấy rất giỏi trong việc ứng biến tình huống. (He is very good at improvising based on the situation.)
• Ứng biến theo hoàn cảnh: To adapt according to circumstances.
  • Chúng ta phải biết ứng biến theo hoàn cảnh. (We must know how to adapt according to circumstances.)

Related Idioms

• "Đi đến đâu, tính đến đó": Literally "Go to where, calculate to there," meaning to deal with things as they come, similar to "play it by ear." This idiom conveys a similar idea of improvisation as "ứng biến."
  • Kế hoạch có thể thay đổi, chúng ta cứ đi đến đâu, tính đến đó. (The plan may change, let's just play it by ear.)
• "Nước đến chân mới nhảy": Literally "Only jump when the water reaches your feet," meaning to act only at the last minute when forced. This can sometimes, but not always, relate to a reactive form of "ứng biến," though it often has a negative connotation of procrastination.

verb

1. to cope accordingly