lộn lại
Definition
- Verb:
- To turn back / to return: To go back to a place one has just left; to reverse one's direction of movement.
- To turn inside out / to reverse: To flip something, especially fabric or clothing, so that the inner side becomes the outer side.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Anh ấy mới đi được năm phút đã lộn lại. (He had only been gone for five minutes before he turned back.)
- Cô ấy lộn lại chiếc áo để khâu đường chỉ. (She turned the shirt inside out to sew the seam.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase can imply a quick or unexpected return or reversal.
- It is often used for physical objects (like clothing) or physical movement, not for abstract concepts.
Variants and Related Words
- Quay lại (v): to turn back, to return. This is a more general synonym.
- Trở lại (v): to come back, to return. Often used for returning to a state or place over a longer period.
Synonyms
- Return: to come or go back to a place.
- Turn back: to reverse one's course.
- Flip: to turn something over quickly.
- Invert: to put something upside down or in the opposite order.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Đi lộn lại: to go and then immediately come back.
- Tôi chỉ đi lộn lại thôi, không lâu đâu. (I'm just going and coming right back, it won't be long.)