trở lui
Definition
- Verb:
- To go back / to return: The primary meaning of "trở lui" is to physically go back to a previous location or to return to a point in time. It emphasizes a reversal of direction or a movement backward along a path or timeline.
- To revert / to regress: It can describe returning to a previous state, condition, or situation.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đường phía trước bị tắc, chúng tôi phải trở lui. (The road ahead is blocked, we have to go back.)
- Trở lui lại mười năm trước, cuộc sống ở đây rất khác. (Going back ten years, life here was very different.)
- Anh ấy muốn trở lui trạng thái cài đặt gốc của máy tính. (He wants to revert the computer to its original factory settings.)
Advanced Usage
- "trở lui trở tới": to go back and forth repeatedly; to be indecisive or to shuttle between places.
- Anh ta trở lui trở tới giữa nhà và văn phòng suốt ngày. (He goes back and forth between home and the office all day.)
Variants and Related Words
Trở lại (v): to return, to come back. This is a more common and standard synonym.
- Cô ấy sẽ trở lại vào tuần tới. (She will return next week.)
Quay lại (v): to turn back, to return.
- Xe buýt đã quay lại trạm đầu tiên. (The bus turned back to the first station.)
Synonyms
- Return: to go or come back to a place or condition.
- Go back: to move backward to a previous location or time.
- Revert: to return to a previous state.
Notes on Usage
- "Trở lui" is considered less common in modern standard Vietnamese than its synonyms "trở lại" or "quay lại." It may carry a slightly more formal or literary tone and is sometimes associated with regional usage.
- It is often used in temporal contexts to mean "looking back in time."