hồi

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Vietnamese

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Etymology

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Sino-Vietnamese word from (to return; occurrence classifier; chapter classifier).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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hồi

  1. a time, especially in the past
    hồi trướcthere was a time when; back when
    hồi nhỏ/trẻduring childhood
    • 2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Biển người mênh mông" (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house
      Ông kể, hồi trẻ, ông toàn sống trên sông, ông có chiếc ghe, hai vợ chồng lang thang xứ nầy xứ nọ.
      He told that, in his youth, he always lived on the river; he had a junk and he and his wife would roam from one place to the other.
  2. (preceded by một) a relatively long occurrence of an action
    Họ nói chuyện một hồi rồi về.
    They talked for a while, then left.
    Lão nói một thôi một hồi không nghỉ.
    He just kept going on and on forever.
  3. (only in fixed expression) an instance of sustained sound, usually of a bell or drum
    hồi trốnga drum roll
  4. (fiction) Synonym of chương (chapter)
    Đã ba hồi trôi qua rồi mà chẳng thấy có tiến triển gì cả.
    Three chapters past and there's still no progress.
  5. (narratology, especially theater) an act
    Hồi 1, Cảnh 1Act 1, Scene 1
    cấu trúc 3 hồithe 3-act structure

Verb

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hồi

  1. (literary) to be back in good shape or a calm and collected state of consciousness