luân phiên
Definitions
Verb:
- To alternate; to take turns: To perform an action or fulfill a role in a repeated, sequential order with others.
- To rotate; to cycle: To occur or be arranged in a recurring sequence.
Adverb:
- Alternately; in rotation: Describes the manner of doing something by taking successive turns.
Usage Examples
Verb:
- Họ luân phiên lái xe trong chuyến đi dài. (They take turns driving on the long trip.)
- Các thành viên trong nhóm sẽ luân phiên chủ trì cuộc họp. (The team members will rotate chairing the meeting.)
Adverb:
- Hai đội chơi luân phiên. (The two teams play alternately.)
- Chúng tôi làm việc ca đêm luân phiên. (We work the night shift in rotation.)
Advanced Usage
"làm việc theo chế độ luân phiên": to work on a rotating/shift basis.
- Các y tá làm việc theo chế độ luân phiên. (The nurses work on a rotating schedule.)
"luân phiên nhau": to take turns with each other (emphasizes reciprocity).
- Hai anh em luân phiên nhau trông cửa hàng. (The two brothers take turns minding the store.)
Variants and Related Words
Luân chuyển (verb): To circulate, to transfer (often used for personnel or objects moving between positions or locations).
- Nhân viên được luân chuyển giữa các chi nhánh. (Staff are transferred between branches.)
Thay phiên (verb): To alternate, to take turns (a close synonym, slightly less common).
- Họ thay phiên nhau nghỉ giải lao. (They alternate taking breaks.)
Synonyms
- Thay nhau: To take turns, to alternate.
- Thay lượt: To take turns (similar to "thay nhau").
- Xen kẽ: To interlace, to intersperse (implies interweaving or occurring between other things).
Related Phrases (Collocations)
Luân phiên canh gác: To take turns standing guard.
- Các binh sĩ luân phiên canh gác. (The soldiers take turns standing guard.)
Luân phiên trực: To take turns being on duty/on call.
- Các bác sĩ luân phiên trực cuối tuần. (The doctors take turns being on call on weekends.)
Related Idioms
- "Đến lượt": It's [someone's] turn (often used in the context of a rotation).
- Bây giờ đến lượt bạn phát biểu. (Now it's your turn to speak.)