Definition

1. Noun:

   • Time, occurrence, instance: Used to count the number of times an event or action happens.
   • Ply, layer: Refers to a single thickness or fold of a material.

2. Verb:

   • To grope, to feel one's way: To move carefully by touching or feeling with the hands, often in darkness or when unsure.
   • To shuffle, to move slowly and carefully: To advance with small, cautious steps.
   • To finger, to handle by touch: To touch or feel something gently, often to examine or search.
   • To search painstakingly, to try to find: To look for something with difficulty, often by investigating or probing.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Đây là lần đầu tiên tôi đến Việt Nam. (This is the first time I have come to Vietnam.)
  • Tôi đã gọi cho cô ấy ba lần. (I have called her three times.)
  • Chiếc áo được may bằng vải hai lần. (The coat is made from two-ply fabric.)

• Verb:

  • Trời tối, anh ấy phải lần theo bức tường để ra cửa. (It was dark, he had to grope his way along the wall to the door.)
  • Đứa bé lần từng bước xuống cầu thang. (The child shuffled down the stairs step by step.)
  • Ông già lần tràng hạt trong tay. (The old man fingered the rosary in his hand.)
  • Cảnh sát đang cố lần ra manh mối. (The police are trying to search out the clues.)

Advanced Usage

• "lần lần": (adverbial) Gradually, little by little, one after another.

  • Cô ấy lần lần hiểu ra vấn đề. (She gradually understood the problem.)

• "lần mò": (verb) To grope around, to fumble; to search laboriously.

  • Chúng tôi lần mò trong bóng tối. (We groped around in the darkness.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lần đầu (phrase): The first time.

  • Lần đầu gặp mặt (The first meeting)

• Lần cuối (phrase): The last time.

  • Lần cuối tôi thấy anh ấy (The last time I saw him)

• Lần lượt (adverb): In turn, one after another.

  • Các thí sinh bước vào lần lượt. (The contestants entered one after another.)

• Lần chần (verb): To hesitate, to dawdle, to delay.

  • Đừng lần chần nữa, chúng ta muộn rồi. (Don't dawdle anymore, we are late.)

Synonyms

• Noun: Time, occasion, instance, round, ply.
• Verb: Grope, feel, fumble, shuffle, inch, probe, search, seek.

Related Idioms

• Lần ra lần vào: To go in and out repeatedly; to be indecisive or restless.

  • Anh ta lần ra lần vào không yên. (He kept going in and out, unable to settle.)

• Lần theo dấu vết: To follow the trail/tracks.

  • Con chó lần theo dấu vết của tên trộm. (The dog followed the trail of the thief.)

noun

1. time
   • lần nào cũng đến chậm
     to come late everytime. set; ply
   • áo lót hai lần
     a two-ply lined coat

verb

1. to grope one's way; to shuffle on