Definition

1. Noun:

   • Current, stream, flow: A moving mass of liquid, especially water. It can also describe a continuous, moving sequence of something.
   • Line: A horizontal row on a page or surface.
   • Lineage, descent, strain: A sequence of people from the same family or ancestry over generations.
   • Religious order: A community of people living under a specific set of religious rules.
   • Trend, school of thought: A continuous development or succession in culture, thought, or art.

2. Verb:

   • To lower, to pay out: To let something down, especially a rope or line, in a controlled manner.
   • To tow, to lead: To pull or guide something (like an animal) using a long rope or line.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Dòng sông (The river / The river's current).
  • Dòng người đổ về phía quảng trường. (A stream of people poured towards the square.)
  • Anh ấy viết vài dòng thư. (He wrote a few lines of a letter.)
  • Ông ấy thuộc dòng họ Nguyễn. (He is of the Nguyen lineage.)
  • Nhà dòng (The monastery / The religious house).

• Verb:

  • Người leo núi dòng dây xuống. (The climber lowered the rope down.)
  • Người nông dân dòng con trâu về chuồng. (The farmer led the buffalo back to the shed with a rope.)

Advanced Usage

• "Dòng chảy": Literally "the flow/current", often used metaphorically for trends or the continuous movement of history, culture, or ideas.
  • Dòng chảy lịch sử (The flow of history).
• "Nối dòng": To continue the family line.
  • Có con trai để nối dòng. (To have a son to continue the family line.)
• "Thuộc dòng": To belong to a lineage or category.
  • Thuộc dòng máu nghệ sĩ. (To be of artistic blood / To have an artistic lineage.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dòng dõi (n): Lineage, ancestry (emphasizing noble or long-standing descent).
  • Dòng dõi quý tộc (Noble ancestry).
• Dòng họ (n): Clan, family line.
  • Dòng họ lớn (A large clan).
• Dòng đời (n): The course/stream of life.
  • Trôi theo dòng đời (To drift along with the stream of life).

Synonyms

• Dòng (n - as current): Luồng (stream, current), làn (stream, trickle).
• Dòng (n - as line): Hàng (row), đường kẻ (ruled line).
• Dòng (n - as lineage): Gia tộc (family), huyết thống (bloodline).
• Dòng (v): Thả (to release, to let down), kéo (to pull).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Dòng lên: To pull something up using a rope/line.
  • Dòng thùng nước lên từ giếng. (To pull the water bucket up from the well.)
• Dòng xuống: To lower something down using a rope/line.
  • Dòng hàng hóa xuống tàu. (To lower the cargo down to the ship.)

Related Idioms

• "Chảy thành dòng": To flow in streams (often for tears or sweat).
  • Mồ hôi chảy thành dòng. (Sweat poured in streams.)
• "Trôi theo dòng nước" / "Xuôi theo dòng": To go with the flow; to follow the crowd without resistance.
  • Anh ta không có chính kiến, chỉ biết xuôi theo dòng. (He has no opinion of his own, he just goes with the flow.)

noun

1. current; stream
   • dòng nước mắt
     a tream of tears
2. Line
   • giấy có kẻ dòng
     lined paper
3. Strain; descent
   • cô ta thuộc dòng quí tộc
     She was of noble strain
4. Religious order
   • nhà dòng
     Monastery

verb

1. to tow; to lower
   • dòng dây
     to lower a rope