A contrastive analysis of using some colours in english and vietnamese

GRADUATION THESIS

Acknowledgements
I especially would like to express my great gratitude to M.A Nguyen
Xuan Binh - my supervisor - who gave me the enthusiastic help and
encouragement to complete this thesis.
I'd also like to thank the teachers of Foreign Languages Department for
guiding me to find out neccesary materials for my thesis.
Furthermore, I'm grateful to my parents as well as my classmates for
their help and support during the process of carrying out this graduation
thesis.
To everyone, I truly thank!

Vinh, June-2003
TU THI THU MAI

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I: INTRODUCTION
I. Reasons for choosing the subject

II.Aims of the study
III. Objects of the study
IV. Methods of the study
V. Design of the study

PART II: CONTENTS
Chapter I: THEORETICAL PRELIMINARIES
I: Background Information
1. What is a word?
2. Meaning and meaning of words
II: COLOURS:

1.Definition
2. Meaning and importance of colours
3. Cultural approaches of colours

Chapter II: THE WAY OF USING SOME COLOURS IN ENGLISH AND
VIETNAMESE
I. TRUE COLOURS IN LIFE:
1. Colour lexemes.
2. History of researching colours
3. Grades of some colours
3.1 Blue
3.2 Red
3.3 Black
3.4 White

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II. COLOURS DESCRIBE CONCRETE OBJECTS
1. Colours are used to express mood, emotion
2. Colourful words combine with some parts of human body
2.1. Skin
2.2. Heel
2.3. Eyes
2.4. Lip
2.5 Teeth
III. IDIOMS OF COLOURS
1. Definition of colours
2. Comparison idioms of colours
2.1. In Vietnamese
2.1.1. Đen
2.1.2. Trắng
2.1.3. Đỏ
2.1.4 Xanh
2.2. In English
2.2.1. Black
2.2.2. Red
2.2.3. White
2.2.4. Blue
3. Colourful idioms in English and Vietnamese

Chapter III: APPLICATION

1. Exercise
2. Games with colours help improve speaking skill for learners
at high school

PART III: CONCLUSION

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INTRODUCTION
1. REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE STUDY:

As we know, language is a very important means of communication.
One of the languages which is used widely all over the world is English
because of its interests and advantages. In Vietnam, English becomes more
and more popular and it is being taught and spoken everywhere.
It is more interesting when we compare the two languages to find out
the differences and similarities between them in order to understand more
about the cultures of different countries speaking different languages, in
particular English and Vietnamese.
I have always loved colours and the way they interact. In my process of
approaching and learning English, I realize that colours in English are used
very lively and interesting. However, when using colours to express
themselves or the surrounding world, the learners often use simple colourful

words such as: "blue", "red"… they rarely use "light blue" or "dark red"
which is rather complicated. So, I try to explain about how colours work and
how they can be used.
Furthermore, idioms play a very important part in English with great
quantities, especially colourful idioms which make English more interesting.
They help us express what we mean satisfactorily. We can't translate the
meaning of colourful idioms into mother tongue according to literal meaning
because we will make mistakes.
For example, "a white elephant" doesn't mean "một con voi trắng" but
it has the meaning "a huge thing or object which doesn't cost much".
All of the above ideas are the reasons why I choose this thesis to deal
with because I do not only want to enrich my knowledge but also want to give
the readers some more useful readings.

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My hope is that some of learners that happen to stumble upon it will
realize the importance of colours to learn that there is more to colours than we
used to think.
II. AIMS OF THE STUDY:

The first aim of the study is to describe the grades of colours in English
and Vietnamese.

The second aim of this study is to describe colourful idioms in English
and Vietnamese and find out the differences and similarities between them.
The third aim is to describe how to use colours to express our mood,
emotion and the comparison of colours.
The fourth aim is that through this study we also try to offer some
possible types of exercises to improve the learning of English idioms for the
learners and to improve speaking skill for students at high school as well.
III. OBJECTS OF THE STUDY:

+ Idioms
+ English and Vietnamese idioms referring to colours
IV. METHODS OF THE STUDY:

+ Contrastive and comparative method
+ Statistic method
+ Analytic and systematic method
V. DESIGN OF THE STUDY:

Part I: Introduction
1.

Reasons for choosing the subject

2.

Aims of the study

3.

Objects of the study

4.

Methods of the study

Part II: Content

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Chapter I: Describe theoretical preliminaries such as word, meaning of
word.
Chapter II: English and Vietnamese idioms referring to colours.
Chapter III: Some applications for the teaching of English colourful
idioms.
Part III:
Conclusion
Reference books

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CHAPTER I
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Word:
Word is an important unit of a language. It contains many kinds of
information such as the information of things, phenomena, society, culture,
psychology, human…
It has functions of meaning and function of making up sentences. It is
one of the basic unit of semantics. But it is truly very difficult to define.
- "Words are regarded the meaningful units of a language (the smallest
and independent). Words, on the other hand, may be considered purely as
forms, whether written or spoken, or alternatively as composite expressions,
which combine forms and meaning"
(Semantics - HN National University Press, 1998)
- "Word is sound or a group of sounds that expresses a meaning and
forms an independent unit of a language"
(Oxford Advanced Learners ' Dictionary- Oxford University Press,
1995)
2. Meaning and meaning of word.
The term "meaning" has been one of the problems that makes people
argue. Up to now, no one can define exactly what is meaning? However, there
are some definitions that can be acceptable:
- Meaning is what is referred to or indicated by. For example: sounds,
words or signals.
Sounds and patterns that convey meaning of the word are being used in
its original meaning. In here , in the field of language, we research "meaning"

that belongs to the language.
There are several theories of meaning such as:
- The referential: meaning of an expression (or of a word) is what it
refers to or denotes or stands for.

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- The ideational: meaning of an expression (or of a word) is idea or
concept associated with it in the mind of anyone who knows and understands
the expression.
The meaning - in - use theory: meaning of an expression is determined
by, if not identical with its use in language.
In fact, there are a lot of problems of the meaning that need to be
studied. The meaning of a word is not only what it refers to but also depends
on the way we use it, on the context it appears or on the innovation of the
"accented" word in a sentence.
Besides, the development of the words, the origins of the words and the
relations holding between them also affect the meanings of the words.
II. COLOURS:

1. Definition:
What is coulor? Out of the vibrations reaching the earth a tiny octave is
registered by the optic nerves our eyes respond to these particular vibrations

with a reaction that we know as colours.
It has been suggested that the seven colours correspond to the seven
major planets and are radiating down to the earth at their specific rates of
vibration. A red rose absorbs all colours except "red" and reflects the red light
waves to us and we say "the rose is red".
2. Meaning and importance of colours
Colours give to light their infinite variety. Without colours and light,
the world would be very drab and we would probably all be very depressed.
Instead the gift of colours has imbued, the world with such great
beauty, colours give meaning to the things we do, the objects we surround
ourselves with, to the personality and all its shifting moods and to all the
events that makes our lives.
The infinite number of colours can not be all explained. They are
attributed to the infinitely subtle and unique qualities of life. Each colour has
a subtle impression and is part of the creation of atmosphere, desirability and
mood.

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In all cultures and ages, colours have attributed with meaning and
qualities and sciences have explored their effect on the health and personality
as well .
The meaning of colours are as universal as they are personal and like

songs, they can transport you in a minute to a feeling that goes beyond reason.
They invite the individual into their own language of meaning and
significance. Each individual lends their uniqueness to the colour creating a
mood that lifts life into a more magical and feeling realm.
3. Cultural approaches of colours and the way to divide colours.
The term "culture" is used widely nowadays. However, it's very
complicated to understand the exact meaning of this term. Up to now, there
has been more than 400 different definitions of "culture". These definitions
may be very prolific, interesting… Because each nation has its own culture.
Nature has many colours: seas, rivers, mountains, forests, trees,
animals… Our world is full of colours as well. Colours reflect our interest in
beauty to reach. It brings the features of a community, a tradition, a custom…
Each nation has different outlooks and different ways of using colours.
In common, English and Vietnamese have the similar way of
symbolizing colours:
'"Red" symbolizes the vital force, energy, passion, courage and action.
It is associated with leadership, power, the will and the body. Spontaneity and
impulsiveness are its qualities. It stimulates activity, intensity and
extroversion. "Red" also brings out the revolutionary and leads us into
affirmative thought and action.
For example, "red flag" in English and "cờ đỏ" in Vienamese is the
special symbol of revolution .
"Blue"symbolizes the communicative force, speech, messages and
ideas. It relaxes and opens the mind to share thought and ideas. Idealism,
sincerity, mental empathy and relaxation are associated with blue. It brings
out affection, loyalty and inspiration. It is the colour of friendship and
develops that unconditional bounding.

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"White" symbolizes purity, union, truth and innocence. Its qualities are
cleanliness, self-sacrifice and beginnings purity essentially opens us to the
deeper level of existence and renews the souls experience of the moment.
Holiness and divinity in its feminine aspects are associated with ''white''.
For example, when getting married, brides often wear white wedding
skirts because this means they are virgins.
"Black" symbolizes the bad, unluckiness, evil and death. "Black" brings
us unhappiness and sad emotions.
For example, "black list" is used to write names of those who are
criminal or do something illegally.

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CHAPTER II
THE WAY TO USE SOME COLOURS IN ENGLISH AND
VIETNAMESE.

I. TRUE COLOURS IN LIFE:

1. Colour lexemes:
The range of colours is a continuous band, lacking any clear physical
boundaries. The semantic field of colour has therefore attracted particular
attention because it demonstrates very clearly the different patterns of lexical
use in a language. English has eleven basic colour lexemes: white, black, red,
green, yellow, blue, brown, purple, pink, orange, and grey. While in
Vietnamese, there are nine basic colour lexemes: đen, trắng, đỏ, vàng, xanh,
tím, nâu, hồng, xám.
The differences between the colour terms of various languages are
striking, and might lead us to conclude that each language has worked out a
unique system in a totally arbitrary way. A 1969 study by B.Berlin and P.Kay
however, argued the opposite. After studying the colour system of 58
languages, they concluded that there is a universal inventory of only 11 basic
colour categories, and all languages use either these eleven or fewer.
"Basic" was interpreted to mean that the terms used only a single
morpheme were in common use, applied to many objects, and were not
contained within another colour. They also claimed that these basic terms
were ordered, as follows:
White
Black

green
< [red ] <

yellow

purple, orange

<[ blue ] < [brown ]<

pink, grey

If a language has a term to the right of the sign <, it will also have all
the terms to the left.

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These claims are not without controversy. Obtaining reliable data
from native speakers about such matters is a problem, especially as their
judgements might have been coloured by their exposure to other languages.
Some languages, also, seem to have twelve basic terms. But the research has
demonstrated some impressive similarities across a wide range of languages.
The world of colours is very various and interesting. The philosopher
and writer- Henri Raypho wrote: "We have food culture, entertainment
culture, tourism culture... We also have colour culture". Colours make our life
more beautiful and lovely. There are many colours as mentioned above, here I
just focus on four basic colours: blue, red, black and white.
2.History of researching colours:
It's difficult to imagine human's life without colours. The natural world
around man and the world that man creates is the world of colours. Because
of its appearance everywhere, there is no doubt that it is a dispensable part of

culture. The specialists about traditional culture, arts and architecture realized
that the ability of thinking about colours and the aesthetic relation towards
colours of each nation are diffrent and this makes unique cultural features.
Colours are attached to history and national tradition. In Western countries,
"black" is the colour of death, which is opposite to Eastern countries' point of
view: "white" is the colour of death.
About a hundred year ago, researchers in the world were interested in
the differences in the way of thinking about colours of different countries.
Discusions about colours were paid much attention by many sciencific
branches such as ethnology, psychology and linguistics. There were many
outstanding studies written by many famous sciencific researchers basing on
lively materials and objects of different races. For example, Glastone W.E,
Geiger.L, Magnus G analised very clearly names of colours taken from
ancient writtings of Chinese, India, Xemit...
Allen F -English psychologist- paid much attention to the culture that
was considered colour-blindness. Berlin B. Kay P. invented methods to divide
the evolution phases towards colours' appearance.

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The above researchers and their studies helped us know how the
relationship between colours and culture were paid much attention by
sciencific world.

Vietnamese linguistics also had some well-known studies such as:
- "The way to use colourful adjectives of Tố Hữu" written by Lê Anh
Hiền.
- "The system of colourful words in Vietnamese" written by Đào Thản.
Vietnamese has two classes of colourful words: the abstract class and
the concrete class. So does English.
Đào Thản gave out some reasonable remarks : "The consciousness of
colours and analization of Colourful ranges in all languages depend on the
sight and traditional point of view of each community rather than the result of
analizing them". Because of that reason, some colours are considered basic
ones of this language but not in other languages. For example: "xanh da trời"
and "xanh lá cây" are not basic colours in Vietnamese, meanwhile "blue" is
considered a basic colour in English. Actually, in Vietnamese, there are no
words which have the same meaning with "blue" and "green", it is expressed
by an abstract terminology: "xanh".
3.Grades of some colours:
English, as well as Vietnamese has grades of colours which helps us
describe things, objects or the surrounding world flexiably.
3.1. BLUE
3.1.1. In English:
- aqua: màu ngọc xanh biển

- sky blue: xanh da trời

- azure blue: xanh da trời

- royal blue: xanh cam

- cadet blue: xanh lục

- turquoise: màu ngọc lam

- dark blue: xanh đậm

- bright blue: xanh biếc

- deep blue: xanh thẫm

- light blue: xanh nhạt

- navy blue: xanh nước biển

- mosy green: xanh rêu

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Ex:
+ " On the bedside rug were two light blue fuzzy slippers that startled,
almost shocked him"
( Canadian short stories- Robert Weaver)
+"I carrying his fresh-laundered white shirt, blue suit and subdued dark
blue necktie"
(Canadian short stories- Robert Weaver)

3.1.2. In Vietnamese:
- xanh biếc: deep sky blue

- xanh om: verdant

- xanh da trời: sky blue

-xanh rì: verdant

- xanh đậm: dark blue

- xanh rờn: verdant

- xanh lá cây: green

- xanh tốt: verdant

- xanh lè: very green

- xanh tươi: verdant

- xanh lính thuỷ: navy blue

- xanh xanh: bluish

- xanh lơ: blue
- xanh lục: green

- xanh lam: blue
- xanh mơn mởn: light green

Ex:
+ "Bây giờ nó lộ ra khá rõ ràng, trong bộ áo ngủ màu xanh nhạt"
(Đôi Mắt- Nam Cao)
+ "Cô giáo bảo vẽ một cái hoa hồng.Một em nhỏ liền vẽ lên giấy một
cái hình vng biếc màu da trời"
(Tờ Hoa- Nguyễn Tn)
Besides, in Vietnamese, we have other grades of blue such as: xanh
cốm, xanh cổ vịt, xanh lá mạ, xanh trứng sáo, xanh hoa lý,xanh lá liễu...
3.2. RED
3.2.1. In English:
-light red: đỏ nhạt

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- ruddy: đỏ au
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- reddish: đo đỏ, đỏ hoe

- bright red: đỏ tươi

- blood red: đỏ lịm

- scarlet: đỏ chót

- glowing red: đỏ rực

- blood shot: đỏ ngầu

- crimson: đỏ chói, đỏ thẫm, đỏ gay

- carmine: đỏ thắm

- burgundy: đỏ tía

- blazing red: đỏ rực

- magenta: đỏ tươi

- vermillion: đỏ thắm

- brick red: đỏ màu gạch

- purple: đỏ tía

- deep red: đỏ loè

- blushing: đỏ ửng

- dark red: đỏ thẫm

- rosy: đỏ hồng

Ex:

+ "My companion wakened from her reveries with a sarcely audible
sigh and looking towards the window where the blood red harvest moon was
shining in upon us"
( The tenant of wildfell hall- Anne
Bronte)
+ "She had deep red blotches around her eyes"
( Canadian short stories- Robert Weaver)

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3.2.2. In Vietnamese:
- đỏ au: ruddy

- đỏ ối: glowing red

- đỏ choé: bright red

- đỏ rực: blzing red

- đỏ chói: crimson

- đỏ thắm: carmine

- đỏ chon chót: bright red

- đỏ thẫm: dark red

- đỏ chót: scarlet

- đỏ tía: purple

- đỏ loè: deep red

- đỏ tươi: bright red

- đỏ gay: crimson

- đỏ lòm: blood red

- đỏ hoe: reddish

- đỏ ngầu: blood-shot

Ex:
+ "Nhìn đơi cánh tay cuồn cuộn những thớ thịt cháy nắng đỏ rực của
Huân, chị lại bừng bừng thèm muốn một cảnh gia đình hạnh phúc"
( Mùa Lạc- Nguyễn Khải)
+ "Anh Tánh cứ dòm nơi nào thấy cây thơm rừng và lùm trang
bơng đỏ chói là gặp Việt ngay"
( Nhũng đứa con trong gia đình- Nguyễn Thi)
Besides, Vietnamese has other red colours such as: đỏ hoa gạo, đỏ tôm
luộc, đỏ hoa đào, đỏ cánh kiến, đỏ tiết dê, đỏ huyết dụ...
3.3. BLACK

3.3.1. In English:
- jet black: đen hạt huyền
- deep black: đen rưng rức
- dark black: đen sì
- raven : đen nhánh
- shiny black: đen bóng
Ex:
+ " Her hair was raven black and disposed in long glossy ringlets"
( The tenant of Wildfell Hall- Anne Bronte)

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+ " None of the old colour had as yet come to her cheek, and its
absolute paleness was heightened by the jet black of her gown"
( Far from the Madding Crowd- Thomas Hardy)
3.3.2. In Vietnamese:
- đen bóng: shiny black

- đen thui: coal black

- đen đen: blackish

- đen ngòm: quite black

- đen kịt: inky black

- đen trùi trũi: very black

- đen nhánh: shining black

- đen xịt: quite black

Ex:
+ "Ông cụ vẫn quắc thước như xưa, râu bây giồ đã dài tới ngực và vẫn
đen bóng"
( Mùa Lạc- Nguyễn Khải)
+ " Anh đen thui như người Thượng"
( Nắng đồng bằng- Chu Lai)
+ " Đơi cánh đen sì của nó lượn vị vè như đôi cánh tử thần sắp chụp
lên đầu nạn nhân"
(Nắng đồng bằng- Chu Lai)
Vietnamse also has: đen nhọ nồi, đen hạt na, đen tuyền, đen mun, đen chì...
As we know, in English:
- black board => bảng đen
- black trousers => quần đen
However, in Vietnamese, it's different:
- black board => bảng đen
- black trousers => quần thâm
- black chicken => gà gô
- black cat => mèo mun
- black eyes => mắt huyền

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- black dog => chó mực
- black horse => ngựa ô
The reason why we can say the above phrases is because that we
borrow some words from Chinese which makes Vietnamese vivid and more
interesting.
3.4. WHITE
3.4.1. In English:
- ivory white: trắng ngà

- pure white: trắng trong

- creamy white: trắng ngần

- bright white: trắng xố

- gleam white: trắng bóng

- snow white: trắng muốt

- fair: trắng trẻo
Ex:
+ " I wish I had light hair and a fair skin"

( Wuthering Height- Emily Bronte)
+ " Mine was rocking in a rustling green tree, with a west wind
blowing, and light white clouds flitting rapidly above"
( Wuthering Height- Emily Bronte)

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3.4.2. In Vietnamese:
- trắng bóng: shiny white

- trắng đục: milk white

- trắng bốp: very white

- trắng muốt: spotless white

- trắng ngà: ivory white

- trắng ngần: creamy white

- trắng nhễ nhại: very white

- trắng nõn: soft white

- trắng nuột: creamy white

- trắng phau: very white

Ex:
+ " Màn tuyn trắng toát.Chỉ trông cũng đã thấy thơm tho và thoải mái"
( Đôi Mắt- Nam Cao)
+ " Huân cười to, hai hàm răng rất đều trắng loá"
( Mùa Lạc- Nguyễn Khải)
Besides, there are some other white colours in Vietnamese: trắng hoa
mai, trắng bụng cà, trắng hoa sói, trắng hoa chanh, trắng hoa quỳnh...
In both English and Vietnamese, the colours of objects are not
existing characteristics but they are made of by the combination of three
elements: light, and object, and a part of the body such as eyes. The
differences between colours depend on light, ability of reflection and the way
objects absorb light. Therefore, the distinction between "dark and light"
colours become popular. In English, words that are combined with colours
are: deep, dark, light... and they always stand in front of names of colours. For
example, we have: deep blue, dark red or light blue...Meanwhile, in
Vietnamese, there are many words and they always stand behind: đậm, tối,
sẫm, thẫm, nhạt, nhợt, bợt...For example,we have: xanh thẫm, đỏ sẫm, trắng
nhợt....In Vietnamese, the colour of an object is considered nice or not nice
depending on two factors: "tươi, thắm" and "xỉn". With the same black
colour, "đen thắm" is nice, but "đen xỉn" is not nice.
In Vietnamese, there are some kinds of words which have vague
meanings. They are attached to the situations and we can only guess its
meaning through situations and know which one is nice or not. For example,
"đỏ chót" is used to describe lips, "đen láy"=> eyes, "trắng hếu"=> bone,

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trắng ởn"=> teeth. With the same white colour, "trắng hếu, trắng ởn... are
terrible and not nice, but "trắng nuột, trắng bóc ..." are nice.
Both two languges have specific colours: blue, red, navy blue... These
things exist in nature popularly so every nation use them to describe colours.
The difference is shown through the abundance of objects that we use
to call colours. English as well as Vietnamese people like to use names of
leaves or grass they see everyday to describe colours. English has: walnut
(màu hoa óc chó), lerise (màu quả anh đào), cyclamen (màu hoa anh thảo),
olive (màu quả ô liu) ...While in Vietnamese, there are many words which are
national features: màu bã trầu, màu cháo lòng...that other nations do not have.
II. COLOURS DESCRIBE CONCRETE OBJECTS

1. Colours are used to express mood, emotion.
Colours have great strength. We can know other people's feeling by
looking at the colour on their faces. So colours can express our mood,
emotions clearly which make colourful words useful and interesting.
In Vietnamese, red colour on the face can be used to express the
following mood:
- tiredness:
" Khi giở chăn ra, hai người mặt mày đỏ như ớt chín, mồ hơi mồ kê
nhễ nhại"

( Cái Mai-81)
- drunkness:
" Giọng Tuấn lè nhè. Người Tuấn ỵ ra, mặt đỏ như hoa vông"
( Nguyễn Tú- Đường làng)

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GRADUATION THESIS

- embarrasement:
" Mọi người đều hân hoan, nhìn về phía Muối đang lúng túng, mặt đỏ
như gấc, cốc rượu cầm tay song sánh ra bàn"
( Bình Nguyên Lịch Sử- 45)
- seft love:
" Đống đứng nhìn theo, mặt đỏ lên vì tự ái"
( Vỡ Bờ-449)
- anger:
" Oắt con mặt đỏ tía tai cãi thì bố nó đã trợn mắt"
( Q tặng tuổi thơ-178)
- exhaust :
" Buổi đầu nhìn chị mặt đỏ tía tai, mồ hơi mồ kê nhễ nhại, đánh vật với
cỗ máy đồ sộ, khơng ít người kê kích, châm chọc, chế giễu"
( Phương Nam-21/3/1978,)
In English, red colour on the face have the similar meanings :
- anger:

There are many ways to express anger by using red colour in English.
We have the following phrases:
red with anger: giận đỏ mặt
see red: nổi giận bừng bừng
crimson with anger: mặt đỏ lên vì giận giữ
Ex:
+ "When mother saw the mess that Peter's friends had made in the
living room, she simply saw red and threw them out"
+ "Do not be alarmed", he added, "for my face was crimson with
anger"
( The Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Anne Bronte)
- embarrasement: we have the following phrases:
to become red in the face

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GRADUATION THESIS

to turn red or to grow red
as red as beetroot
to turn scarlet
Ex:
+ "She went as red as beetroot when I asked her about her new boy
friend"
+ "Upon perusing this, she turned scarlet and bit her lip"

( The Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Anne Bronte)
+ "Her face grew red with passion"
( Wuthering Height-Emily Bronte)
"White" and "blue" express strong psychological reactions and are
often negative in both English and Vietnamese. When one's face suddenly
turns into white, may be he is hurted by someone or has just heard a bad
news.
Ex: "Tô Chiêm từ từ keo tấm màn lại như cũ rồi quay lại, mặt trắng ra
như người bị thương lảo đảo ngồi xuống ghế không nói gì"
When someone is too panic, her face becomes blue:
Ex: "Bà chủ hàng mặt xanh mày xám"
( Nguyễn Đình Thi-Vỡ Bờ)
In English, we can find the equivalence easily. When one's face is
white, this means he or she is afraid of something:
Ex:
+ "Her face was as white as a sheet when she saw that sense"
+ "He looked white and beaten and ready to faint"
However, blue colour on the face in English has a different meaning
compared with that in Vietnamese. The phrases "To be blue" or " feel blue"
means someone is bored, sad or depressed.
Ex: "I'm feeling blue because I haven't had any mail except bills for a
long, long time"

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GRADUATION THESIS

Black is rarely used in Vietnamese to express mood while it is used in
English. The phrases "Look black" or "Grow black" means anger or
uncomfort.
Ex:
+ "He looked very black"
+ "Haveton grew black as a thunder cloud at this childish speed"
( Wuthering Height-Emily Bronte)
In conclusion, the complexion describes the reactions of temporal
psychology towards the impacts of the environment. Actually, we can know
someone who is sad, happy, bad-tempered or not by looking at his face which
means by using colours.
2. Colourful words combine with some parts of human body:
2.1. Skin:
Skin is a very important part to the physiological activities of human
and its change can be seen easily.
In the world, not all people have the same skin and people depend on
skin colours to distinguish from other races. European have fair skin so they
are called white skin people. Other remaining races are called "da màu"
because they have darker skin colour.
Of course, different nations have different skin colours. However, even
people in one nation such as Vietnamese have different skin colours.

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GRADUATION THESIS

2.1.1 "Black" and "White":
This is the contrast of skin colour. According to Vietnamese's point of
view, white skin expresses the beauty of women:
Ex: "Con gái làng dệt nức tiếng là tay chân trắng như ngó sen"
A long time ago, Vietnamese men paid much attention to the fair skin
of girls, expecially the wrist:
Ex:

"Cổ tay em trắng như ngà
Con mắt em liếc như là dao cau"

However, white skin is considered not strong. Dark skin symbolizes
good health:
Ex:

"Anh trông em độ này ra sao?
- Đen đi, nhưng khoẻ mạnh hơn"

Vietnamese people do not like black skin because they think it's not
nice and people with such skin have to work hard and lead unhappy lives.
Ex:

"Chồng em vừa xấu vừa đen
Vừa kém nhan sắc vừa hèn chân đi"

Meanwhile, English people think that fair skin is beautiful and the
character they consider the symbol of beauty is the Snow White because she

has the skin that is as white as snow. Gradually, they like tanned-skin because
it expresses strength.
2.1.2. "Red" and "Blue"
According to colour theory, this is the contrast between hot and cold
colour. When we mention about skin colour, it is the symbol of health and
phsychological changes of human body.
Red skin is not "red" in its real meaning, in fact. This is a kind of skin
which is easy to catch sunlight and it expresses strength, full of energy.
Ex: "Thằng Vinh giống bố hồi trẻ, da đỏ như cánh kiến, hai tay săn chắc"
Tanned-skin is strong. It is not only the special right of men but also the
beauty of women in rural areas in Vietnam:

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GRADUATION THESIS

Ex:

"Hỡi cô da đỏ má hồng
Cô đi theo chồng cô bỏ xứ cha"

However, ruddy skin is not always considered beautiful. This depends
on the image the writer uses to compare. For example, ruddy skin in the
following sentence is not nice.
Ex: "Ba tôi lại cười hắc lên, cổ đỏ như gà lôi"

(Nguyễn Thi-VNQĐ 7/69)
In contrast to red skin, blue skin expresses bad health condition. Blue
skin is the symton of the lack of blood.
2.2. Heel:
The heel of the feet is paid much attention, too. Vietnamese people
consider the colour of the heel expresses the life of people: rich or poor,
happy or unhappy.
Ex:

"Còn cha gót đỏ như son
Đến khi cha chết gót con đen sì"

2.3. Eyes:
Vietnamese are interested in eyes because they are the ones that
describe very clearly human's emotions. There are many eye colours in the
world depending on nations such as: blue, black, brown...It is difficult to say
which eye colour is nicer than others because it depends on aesthetic point of
view of each country. English people like blue eyes and they think such eye
colour is beautiful:
Ex: "And then appeared a small white forehead, surmounted with
wreaths of light brown hair, with a pair deep blue eyes beneath"
(The Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Anne Bronte)
Meanwhile, Vietnamese people like jet eyes because they think such
eye colour expresses intelligence:
Ex: "Thằng bé rồi khá! Hai con mắt của nó đen như hai hạt nhãn thế
kia, nó học phải giỏi"

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