Definition

1. Adjective / Adverbial Phrase:
   • Adapting to circumstances: The primary meaning of "tùy thời" is to change one's actions, opinions, or behavior according to the time or the prevailing situation in order to be appropriate or effective.
   • Opportunistic: It can describe a flexible, pragmatic approach that is not rigidly fixed to one plan or principle, but rather adjusts to current conditions.

Usage Examples

• Adjective / Adverbial Phrase:
  • Ông ấy là người rất tùy thời, luôn biết cách ứng phó với mọi biến động. (He is a very adaptable person, always knowing how to cope with every fluctuation.)
  • Chúng ta cần có sách lược tùy thời. (We need a strategy that adapts to the times.)
  • Anh ấy hành động tùy thời, không câu nệ nguyên tắc cứng nhắc. (He acts according to the situation, not bound by rigid principles.)

Advanced Usage

• "tùy thời vận": to adapt to one's fortune or fate.
  • Sống phải biết tùy thời vận. (One must know how to adapt to the turns of fate in life.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tùy cơ ứng biến (idiomatic phrase): to adapt flexibly to opportunities as they arise.

  • Người lãnh đạo giỏi phải biết tùy cơ ứng biến. (A good leader must know how to adapt flexibly.)

• Tùy duyên (v): to act according to circumstances or predestined affinity, often with a spiritual connotation.

  • Mọi việc cứ để tùy duyên. (Let everything happen according to fate/circumstances.)

Synonyms

• Adaptable: able to adjust to new conditions.
• Pragmatic: dealing with things sensibly and realistically based on practical considerations.
• Opportunistic: exploiting immediate opportunities, especially with little regard for principles or consequences.

Related Idioms

• Tùy thời nhi biến: to change and adapt according to the times (a classical concept).
  • Triết lý sống của ông ấy là tùy thời nhi biến. (His life philosophy is to adapt and change with the times.)