A contrastive study between english and vietnamese idioms of colours embodying metaphors

VINH UNIVERSITY
FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT
-----------------    -----------------

GRADUATION THESIS
A CONTRASTIVE STUDY BETWEEN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE
IDIOMS OF COLOURS EMBODYING METAPHORS

Supervisor: LÊ THỊ KHANG
Student:

Nguyễn Thị Như Quỳnh

Class:

41 A2

Vinh, May 2004

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1


I wish, first of all, to express my sincere thanks to the teacher Lê Thị Khang, my
supervisor, who gave me valuable advice and suggestions in the course of my writing
this graduation paper. Her advice and inspiration encourage me a lot.

I also own a debt of gratitude to the teachers in English Department for their
deep explanation and useful lectures, especially to my examiner, Dr. Vũ Thị Hà for
her precious comments, corrections.

I do avail myself of this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Scientific
Council of English Department to give me chance to do this thesis.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my family and friends who are
always by my side and give help and encouragement.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
1.

INTRODUCTION

PAGE

Rationale

1

2


2.

Objectives
1

3.

Scope of study

4.

Methods

1
of

study

2
5.

Design of the study

2

PART II

BODY

CHAPTER 1

NOTIONS OF IDIOMS AND METAPHORS IN LANGUAGE STUDY

1.

A general view of idioms

3

1.1

Definition of idioms

3

1.2

Classifications of idioms

3

1.3

Distinctions between idioms and free – expressions

4

1.3.1 Similarities

4

1.3.2 Differences

4

1.4

5

Distinction between idioms and proverbs

1.4.1 Similarities

5

1.4.2 Differences

5

1.5

Characteristics of idioms

6

1.5.1 Semantic characteristics

6

1.5.2 Grammatical characteristics

6

2.

A

general

view

of

metaphors

7
2.1

Definition of metaphors

7

2.2

The embodied motivation for metaphors in thought and language

8

2.3

Distinction between metaphor and metonymy

9

2.3.1 Similarities

9

2.3.2 Differences

10

2.4

10

Distinction between metaphor and simile

2.4.1 Similarities

10

2.4.2 Differences

11

2.5 Classifications of metaphors

11
3


2.5.1 Living metaphors

11

2.5.2 Fade metaphors

11

2.5.3 Dead metaphors

12

3.

The use of metaphors in Vietnamese and English idioms

12

4.

How important are idioms embodying metaphors
in teaching and learning English?

13

CHAPTER 2
A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE IDIOMS OF
COLOURS EMBODYING METAPHORS

1.

The use of metaphors in idioms of colours

15

1.1 What are idioms of colours?
1.2

How

are

15

idioms

of

colours

created?

15
1.3

How

are

metaphors

in

idioms

of

colours

embodied?

16
2

An Analysis of English idioms embodying metaphors in comparison with
Vietnamese ones

2.1

16

An Analysis of metaphorical expressions of English and Vietnamese idioms
of

colours

through

a

cultural

observation

16
2.1.1

Black

16
2.1.2

White

19

2.1.3

Blue and Green

20

2.1.4

Red

23

2.1.5

Others

24

2.2

Some Similar and different typical features of English and Vietnamese idioms

of colours

26

2.2.1 Differences of social structures

26
4


2.2.2

Similarities and tendency of the two cultures to get close each other
metaphorical

2.2.2.1
27

meanings through idioms of colours

27

Accidental coincidences of idioms of colours embodying metaphors

2.2.2.2

The tendency to get close to each other in the field of culture

27
3.

Frequency of using different colours in English and Vietnamese idioms of
colours

28

4.

Semantic features of idioms of colours

30

4.1

Black

31

4.2

Blue and green

31
4.3

White

32

4.4

Red

32

CHAPTER 3
SOME DIFFICULTIES FACED BY VIETNAMESE LEARNERS IN STUDYING
IDIOMS OF COLOURS – SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

1.

Difficulties

34

1.1

Difficulty in memorizing

34

1.1.1 Difficulty with English Idioms‟ large number

34

1.1.2 Difficulty in classifying

34

1.1.3 Difficulty in non-rhythm

34

1.2

35

Difficulty in understanding

1.2.1 Difficulty with grammatical structures

35

1.2.2 Difficulty with cultural gaps

36

1.3 Difficulties in using English idioms

38

2

38

The role of teachers in supporting learners

2.1 The role of teachers

38

2.2 Suggestions to teachers

39

2.3 Suggested exercises

40

PART III
5


CONCLUSION

44

APPENDIX
REFERENCES

PART I:

INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
The aspiration I chose this subject for my study is derived from my own interest
in the figurative meanings of idioms.
It is said that metaphor is one of the best devices to contribute to the richness,
aliveness and beauty of language in general, and of idioms in particular. Thus, how to
use and understand metaphors in language is very necessary. And in order to

understand the metaphorical expressions of idioms, we can not rely on their literary
meanings but we have to consider their figurative sense.
In this study, I would like to take the names of colours as the source of
metaphoric expressions of idioms because I think that colours are quite familiar with
human being. Whenever the name of any colour is called out, people can have the
clear image of it as well as its typical features in their minds. It explains the reason
why the names of colours are used metaphorically quite often and naturally in idioms.
2. Objectives
After having taken the semantics and the lexicology as the official subjects in the
class, I realize that I should have a further study on one certain aspect of these subjects
and I have chosen English and Vietnamese idioms of colours basing on their
metaphorical expressions.
This study aims at introducing readers, specifically English language students
some understandings about metaphors and idioms in general, idioms of colours
embodying metaphors in particular.
Besides, this study aims at making the clear distinction between English idioms
of colours embodying metaphors and Vietnamese equivalents in some aspects such as
culture, social features, structural and semantic features as well as the degree of using.

6


The study also helps English language learners to define and overcome some
difficulties in studying and translating such English metaphorical idioms of colours
into Vietnamese equivalents.
3. Scope of the study
As a graduate paper, it is impossible to cover all the matters concerning idioms
and metaphors. Therefore, in my study I will only focus on one narrow aspect of
idioms, that is, English idioms of colours embodying metaphors in comparison with
Vietnamese counterparts.

I choose to analyze this very topic since the metaphorical expressions of colours
are plentiful and interesting both in Vietnamese and in English. They also cause great
difficulties to learners due to differences in culture. Through this study, they can
understand more and more about the ways which colours are metaphorically used in
idioms.
Therefore, the investigated issues to the paper are as follows:
- An overview of metaphors and idioms in language study
- A contrastive study between English and Vietnamese idioms of colours embodying
metaphors
- Some difficulties faced by Vietnamese learners in studying idioms of colours and
suggested solutions
4. Methods of the study
+ Contrastive and comparative methods
+ Statistic method
+ Analytic and systematic method
5. Design of the study
Part I: Introduction
1 Rationale
2 Scope of study
3 Methods of study
Part II: Content
Chapter 1: Notions of idioms and metaphors in language study
7


Chapter 2:

A contrastive study between English and Vietnamese idioms of colours

embodying metaphors

Chapter 3: Some difficulties faced by Vietnamese learners in studying idioms of
colours – suggested solutions
Part III:
Conclusion
Appendix
References

PART II: BODY
CHAPTER 1
NOTIONS OF IDIOMS AND METAPHORS IN LANGUAGE STUDY

1.

A general view of idioms

1.1 Definition of idioms
We all recognize that in any language, there are always phrases or sentences
whose meanings are not easy to understand, even we know the member-word
meanings. Such a phrase or sentence is often constructed with an idiomatic
expression or an idiom in other words. So, what is the concise definition of idioms?
Many definitions have been offered by different linguists.
According to English Language Dictionary (25; 718) “Idioms is a group of
words which, when they are used together in a particular combination, have a
different meaning from the one they would have if you look at the meaning of all
the individual words in the group”.
As in the Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
(19; 172), an idiom is seen as “an expression which functions as a single unit and
whose meaning can not be worked out from its separate parts”
As defined in English Idioms (23; 13), “an idiom is a number of words which,
when taken together, have different meaning from the individual meanings of each

word”.

8


From above definitions, there are different ways of defining an idiom.
However, we see that most linguists share the same point “an idiom is a fixed
expression whose meaning can not be worked out by looking at the meaning of its
individual words” and we also follow this view because idioms are metaphorical
rather than literal meaning and their meaning is either partly (e.g. ‘sweet as honey’
‘as black as pitch’) or completely (e.g. ‘to have one heart in someone’s boots’)
different from the meaning of all components.
1.2

Classifications of idioms
Because idioms are very rich in number, they should be well classified for

learners‟ sake. In fact, there have been some ways to classify idioms given out by
many linguistics based on motivation, subjects, usage, etc. But in this paper, we
would like to focus only on one main of them: the classification based on semantic
features because it affects much on the main part of the study – Chapter 2.
According to V.V. Vingradov. Vingradov (26; website), idioms include three
kinds:
1)

Phraseological fusions: are completely non-motivated idioms with fixed form.

They may be called „completely idiomatic‟ because the meaning of whole unit is
indivisible and is not a sum of the meaning of its components. Eg: ‘beat about the
bush’. Here „beat‟ means to hit somebody or something hard repeatedly, esp with a

stick, „bush‟ means a plant that grows thickly with several stems coming from the
root, but idiomatic meaning is to talk about something without coming to the main
point.
2) Phraseological unities: These idioms are the same as the first kind in term of
that its idiomatic meaning is not the sum of the meaning of its components. The
difference, however, is that they can be guessed based on their components‟
meaning. Eg: ‘give someone a green light’ can be guessed as „to give someone
permission to someone start‟.
3) Phraseological combinations: are clearly motivated idioms. They contain one
component used in its direct meaning, and the others‟ meanings change. In
Phraseological combinations, words being changed are main one. Eg: ‘a black
9


look’. In this idiom one component „look‟ is used in its direct meaning, but the
meaning of the word „black‟ is being changed. So, the idiom means „A look that
express angry‟.
1.3

Distinction between idioms and free-expressions

1.3.1 Similarities
Both idioms and free-expressions are groups of more than two words
combined with each other to a definite syntactic rule.
1.3.2 Differences
In terms of meaning, idioms differ from free-expressions. The meaning of a free
expression is the total of the meaning of its components. For instance, this phrase
„a good book’ has the meaning of „book‟ and the meaning of „good‟, which defines
the quality of the book. Thus, a free-expression often has a compounding naming
function: object (phenomenon) + quality (Eg: a free atmosphere); action + state

(Eg: to work hard). The meaning of an idiom is indivisible and it is not the sum of
meaning of its components. Like words, idioms have pure naming function, not
compounding naming function. Many idioms can be substituted by one word such
as: „hand over head’ is replaced by „easy‟.
One difference between idioms and free expressions is that idioms are readymade units of a language collected in the native speakers‟ mind and reproduced in
speech, and free-expressions are created in speech due to speakers‟ communication
intentions.
1.4

Distinction between idioms and proverbs

1.4.1 Similarities
Both idioms and proverbs are set-expressions. Their components are often
stable and cannot be substituted. Thus, their meanings cannot be deduced from
individual words but must be understood as a whole.
Apart from this, most idioms and proverbs are in non-literal way. Their
meanings are traditional and mostly figurative. We cannot usually discover their
meanings by looking up the individual words in a dictionary. Their meanings must
be understood metaphorically. The followings are examples:
10


At the meeting, I felt a bit out of my depth
A cat may look at the King
The phrase „out of my depth’ is an idiomatic expression. If you only base on
individual words to find out the meaning of the expression, you will be at a loss.
You should think of it in a figurative way. If you are „out of your depth’ you
might be in the sea, but you are more likely to be in a situation that you do not
understand for some reasons. And as for the second sentence, this is a proverb. Its
literal meaning can be expressed in Vietnamese as “chú mèo nhỏ cũng dám ngó

mặt vua”. But translating it metaphorically as follow:

Ignorant and innocent

people usually do not know what is difficult and dangerous to avoid.
1.4.2 Differences
The first and the most obvious difference lies in grammar. An idiom is not a
perfect sentence but a set-expression and a part of a sentence, which is naturally
accepted by native speakers. ‘Black sheep’ ‘to eat like a horse’ or „on its last legs’
are examples. Unlike idioms, a proverb is defined as a fully-made sentence,
expressing the whole idea. It is formed on the basis of an idiom. For instance,
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” contains the idiom „to put in your eggs in
one basket’. It is a complete sentence whose meaning can be interpreted as “We
should never risk everything we have on the success of one plan” (Eg: by putting
all your money into one business).
Idioms and proverbs are also different in terms of their functions. Idioms have
naming function, which indicates a concept, proverbs have communication
function and express in few words a truth relates to everyday experience. Proverbs
are used to give a word of advice of warning or a general comment on a situation.
1.5

Characteristics of idioms

1.5.1 Semantic characteristics
The meaning of idioms is very complicated. As V.V Vinogradov imaginatively
expresses, the meaning of an idiom is „the special chemical mixture’ of meaning of
all components. This means idioms always contain images, which resulted from
metaphors, in themselves. For example, one cannot imagine that „to have a bee in
11

one’s bonnet‟ means „one is obsessed by an idea‟ because this meaning has no
relation with „bee‟ or „bonnet‟.

On the whole, idioms are embodied with

metaphorical expressions and they must be understood metaphorically. Therefore,
the meaning of idioms can be classified into three kinds: the clear meaning, the
meaning that can be guessed, the meaning that cannot be guessed.
Apart from various meanings, idioms are also abundant in the nuances of
meanings. They can range from positive (Eg: „a willing horse’ means „a keen
worker‟ etc.), neutral (Eg: ‟in harness‟ means „working‟ etc.) to negative (Eg: ‘die
a dog’ head’ means „have a miserable death‟ etc.) meaning.
1.5.2 Grammatical characteristics
All idioms are very flexible in terms of grammar.
First, idioms can be very different at length from each other. Most of idioms can
be a group of two words such as „a black sheep’ or more than two words such as
„to show someone’s white feather’ (to reveal someone‟ fear or coward), or ‘to be
out of the red’ (to pay off the debt, etc). Once for a while, idioms can be a
sentence‟s length “A black hen lays a white egg” (A good thing inside seems not to
be good appearance) or ‘a red sky in the Shepherd’s delight‟, etc.
Obviously, most idioms are grammatically regular. Although the whole idiom
has a different meaning from the meaning of its component words put together, at
least these components words are put in a good order. For example: „to get even
with’ has the structure V-C; „to bleed somebody white’ has the structure V-O-C,
etc. However, there are also ones in irregular, even incorrect grammatical form
such as “I am good friends with him” it would be better: “I‟m good friend with
him”. Or the idiom „to be at large’ has different structure „V-pre-adj‟. In English,
normally no structure like this is accepted because adjectives usually never come
after prepositions. But as an idiom, the case is accepted.

Another feature of idioms‟ grammatical flexibility is their degree of fixity.
Idioms can be fixed or non-fixed.
In fact, the components in idioms are stable and cannot be substituted. They
cannot be changed or varied in the way that literal expressions are normally varied,
12


whether in speech or writing. For example, the idiom „to go all out to do
something‟ means „to make a very great effort to obtain something or do
something‟. In this idiom, every element is fixed. They cannot be replaced by other
prepositions.
Idioms, on the other hand, can be unfixed, in the sense that they allow a rather large
range of collocations in their word combinations such as „to be/to feel blue’ or „to
have/sing the blues‟ all of them share the same idea: to get sad, depressed, to feel
gloomy.

2.

A general view of metaphors

2.1

Definition of metaphors
One of the most effective devices to make your writing or your speech clearer
and more vivid is to use metaphors. Metaphors can be found popularly in many
languages. Therefore, studying metaphors sometimes seems like an overwhelming
experience. Almost every scholar wishes to understand something about what
metaphors are and how metaphors are created. Linguists have paid a great deal of
attention to the matter of metaphors. Many of them, who study metaphors or those
who are fearful to do so, voices concern that there are actually too many different

theories of metaphors. However, a general definition of metaphors is still shared by
many linguistics‟ thoughts and each linguist has its own way of defining
metaphors.
First, I shall deal with Aristotle‟s explanation produced in the poetics “metaphor
consists in giving the thing a name that belongs to something else; the transference
being either from genus to species, or from species to genus, or from species to
species, or on ground of analogy” (4; 174)
According to Arnold.I.V (2; 64) “A metaphor is a transfer of names based on
the association of similarity and thus is actually a hidden comparison. It presents a
method of description which likens one thing to another by referring to as it were
some other one”
In Oxford Advanced learners Dictionary (3; 734), “metaphor is the
imaginative use of a word or phrases to describe somebody or something as an
13


other object in order to show that they have the same qualities and to make the
description more forceful”
In general, in each period and area of work, metaphor is seen differently. But in
this paper, I will follow the view that “metaphor is the transference of meaning
from one object to another based on the association of similarity between these two
objects” (12; 64)
For example, when one says “John is a snake” one does not mean a snake is
named „John‟ or literally John is a snake. What he means is a dangerous and
hidden person.
2.2 The embodied motivation for metaphors in thought and language
This part is aimed at emphasizing that we should recognize some of the
complex motivation for why (a) people think metaphorically and (b) use metaphors
so frequently in language, problem solving, remembering, creating and so forth.
But where do metaphors come from? Why it is that people in speaking about

abstract concepts use certain conceptual metaphors, but not the others? The
traditional view of metaphor is that people employ metaphor for strictly
communicate purposes. Any scholar now recognizes that metaphor is essential for
how people communicate about abstract, difficult to talk about ideas, and about
aspects of ordinary experiences. And Kopp, B.M (15; website) explains the reasons
why people use metaphors as follows:
- Firstly, metaphors enliven ordinary language. People get so accustomed to using
the same words and phrases over and over, and always in the same ways that they
no longer know what they mean. This shows that people have the power to make
the ordinary strange and the strange ordinary so that life is more interesting.
- Secondly, metaphors are generous to readers and listeners. So, they can
encourage interpretation. When readers and listeners encounter a phrase or word
that cannot be interpreted literally, they have to think or rather they are given the
pleasure of interpretation.
- Thirdly, metaphors are more efficient and economical than ordinary language.
They give maximum meaning with a minimum of words. For example, by writing
14


“My dorm is a prison” you suggest to your readers that you feel as though were in
solitary, you are deprived of all life‟s great pleasures, your room is poorly lit and
cramped, and a hundred of other things, that if you tried to say them, all would
probably take several pages.
- Fourthly, metaphors create new meaning, they allow you to write about
feelings, thoughts, things, experiences, etc. for which there are no easy words and
metaphors are necessary in these cases. For instance, when a child looks at the sky
and sees a star but does not know the word „star‟, she is forced to say “Mommy,
look at the lamp in the sky”. So complex that you have no choice but to use
metaphors.
-

Last but not the least, metaphors are a sign of genius or so says Aristotle

(4;174) in Poetics “The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphors”.
Form these reasons, metaphor is indeed necessary and not just a nice ornament.
The embodied motivation for metaphors provides a nature, non-arbitrary reason for
why people regularly construct the asymmetrical metaphorical mappings to better
understand many concepts.
2.3

Distinction between metaphor and metonymy

2.3.1 Similarities
We can see that both metaphor and metonymy are also the transference of
names.
For instance, As a metaphor: He is really a fox.
As a metonymy: He is always running after the skirt.
Here „a fox’ and „the skirt’ have the transference of meanings (names) from
one object to anther object. A cunning person is commonly referred to as a fox, so
in the first example ‘a fox’ is transferring of meaning from the name of animals to
the human-being. And in the second one, ‘the skirt’ is also transferring of meaning
from the item of clothing to a woman or a girl.
2.3.2 Differences
A very convenient way of distinguishing the two kinds of tropes is to apply the
‘is like’ test. Figurative statements of the „X is like Y’ form are most meaningful
15


when X and Y represent terms from different conceptual domains. If non-literal
comparison between two things is meaningful when seen in an “X is like Y”

statement, then it is metaphorical; otherwise, it is metonymic. In other words,
metonymy is the transference of meaning from one object to another based on the
contiguity of notions while metaphor is the transference of names based on
similarities. For example, “This farm needs 20 hands (workmen)”. In most of work,
hand is involved, so „hand‟ is the symbol of workers. Therefore, it is used instead
of „workmen‟. Here is no similarity between „hand‟ and „workmen‟ so it is
metonymy while „hand of the clock’ is used metaphorically because there is
similarity in function of hand (part of body) and hand (of the clock): to point at
something.
2.4

Distinction between metaphor and simile

2.4.1 Similarities
The most common figures of speech take the form of comparisons, and the two
items that are discussed in such a small study are metaphor and simile.
It can be said that simile and metaphor are more alike than different.
For example:
He was as brave as a lion. (simile)

(1)

He was a lion in the battle. (metaphor) (2)
The man‟s bravery is the same as the lion‟s strength (1). And when people use
the metaphor “He was a lion in the battle” they also mean that in the battle, the man
is so brave (2). Both metaphor and simile draw a comparison between two things
that are not really alike but seem, in the writer‟s mind, to be alike in some
significant ways.
2.4.2 Differences
Metaphor is a direct or hidden comparison while simile is an indirect and open

comparison. The difference in the expression between metaphors and similes can
be recognized easily. A simile creates a comparison between two things by using
the word ‘like’ or ‘as’. We can see this more clearly through the following
examples:
16


As a simile:

My love is like a melody.

(1)

(Robert, Burn, English poet)
As a metaphor: That child is greedy little pig. (2)
It is clearly seen that in the above example (1), the word „like‟ is used. The
word „like‟ or „as‟ is always used in English while a „simile‟ appears in the text or
conversation whereas „metaphor‟ when using does not have the word „like‟ or „as‟.
So, metaphors are exactly a kind of comparison, too. However, metaphors could be
turned to similes, referring to the above examples on metaphors, which could be
written as follows:
The child is like a greedy little pig.
And this example now is called as „simile‟ since there is the appearance of „like‟
in each example.
2.5 Classifications of metaphors
There are some ways to classify metaphors basing on their degree of
unexpectedness. Let us consider the way that metaphors are classified according to
aspects of time. (12; 66)
2.5.1 Living metaphors
Living metaphor is one kind of metaphors, which is felt or created and used by

an individual when words or phrases are used in metaphorically unusual meanings.
For example: She has an acid tongue. She can raise laugh at other people‟s
expense.
An acid fruit or drink has a sour at sharp taste, often in a way that people find
unpleasant. „Acid‟ is metaphorically used to describe speeches or comments, which
are cruel, unfriendly, or critical.
2.5.2 Fade metaphors
Fade metaphor is one kind of metaphors, which lost its freshness because of
long use and became habitual. For example, „fruitful effort’ „golden youth’ „to fall
in love’ can be hardly recognized any longer as metaphors because they convey
very little emotion. They are used so often that their meanings have become
familiar to speakers, they have lost the freshness, strong and emotional associations
17


they used to own. Presently, they are sleeping and half-dead metaphors and only
aroused again in some special circumstances. It is also necessary to note that the
meanings of faded metaphors are registered in dictionary.
2.5.3 Dead metaphors
Dead metaphors are the ones whose metaphoric senses are not felt. They have
lost their direct meanings and are used only figuratively. For example, „to ponder‟
originally meant „to weigh’ but now it means „to mediate’ („to think or consider
carefully‟).

Obviously, the meanings of dead metaphors are registered in

dictionary.

3. The use of metaphors in English and Vietnamese idioms
Many words and phrases have both literal and metaphorical meanings. The

literal meaning of a word is the transference of its literal meaning based on the
similarities between two things when it is used to refer to something other than this.
So metaphor is one of the devices that contributes to the richness of language.
Moreover, a treasure of idioms plays a very important part in Vietnamese and
English.
It is hardly possible to speak about idioms without mentioning the embodiment
of metaphors. Here are some examples in English:
- He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
- I’m fed up with the rat race.
The

underlined

words

and

phrases

are

used

idiomatically

and

metaphorically. „A wolf in sheep’s clothing’ is „a person who appears friendly or
harmless but is really an enemy‟. Similarly, „rat race’ is also an idiomatic
expression with the use of metaphorical image. Idiomatically and metaphorically, it

means „a way of life in which everybody competes fiercely to be more successful
than everybody else‟. It is easy to recognize that these expressions are fixed and
figuratively used. This is because such words and phrases are used to stand for
other ideas that are different from their literal meanings.
The same phenomenon can be said in Vietnamese idioms. For example, we
usually come across such an expression as „gà trống nuôi con’. This is an idiomatic
18


expression. Literally, this expression refers to the situation of a cock with his
chicks. But in fact this expression is used with figurative meaning. To make it
clearer, we can see the sentence „thật tội nghiệp cho anh ấy phải sống trong cảnh gà
trống nuôi con‟. Here, the sad situation of a man, who has to bring up his
motherless children, is compared with the state of a cock with his chicks. So this
idiom is metaphorically based. All the examples analyzed above prove one evident
thing that in English and Vietnamese, metaphors are commonly used in idioms or
in other words, metaphor is the important device to create idioms.
However, not all of idioms created base on embodying metaphors. So, metaphor
is not the only criteria to recognize an idiom. There are many idioms whose lexical
meanings are used in their direct meanings such as „at least‟(14; 3) „give somebody
a ring‟ (14; 81) in English and „cười ngặt nghẽo’(13; 14) ‘đen thui’ (13; 39) in
Vietnamese. These expressions are used in their literal meanings and it is easy for
learners to understand.
“Language is a living thing” and metaphor is one of the most effective device to
make language more vivid and richer. So, in this study, we only pay attention to
study idioms embodying metaphors in general, and idioms of colours in particular.

4.

How important are idioms embodying metaphors in teaching

and learning English?
As we know, metaphor is one of the most figurative ways of expressing ideas
that makes language more vivid and livelier. However, studying idioms of any
language is not a simple task, especially when idioms embody metaphors.
Therefore, it is very necessary for teacher to have the knowledge of idioms so that
he/she can teach or support learners in studying idioms. Depending on each level in
particular situations, the teacher can apply for idioms to make his lessons more
interesting and useful. For example, when teaching at high schools teachers can
provide students with exercises of idioms but he/she should choose idioms that are
suitable for their ability. If the learners are in 10th form, the teacher should give
them idioms that have clear meaning or can be guessed from the combination of
each component such as „as white as ghost‟ or „a black day‟, etc. If they are in 11th
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or 12th form or higher levels, he can provide them with idioms that cannot be
guessed like „a black leg’, „out of the blue‟, etc. I will come into more detailed in
the Chapter 3 that points out how to apply for idioms in learning and teaching
idioms.

CHAPTER 2
A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE IDIOMS
OF COLOURS EMBODYING METAPHORS

1. The use of metaphors in idioms of colours
1.1. What are idioms of colours?
We should consider the followings:
- true blue (very loyal)
-as white as a ghost (very pale)

These above idioms are very different from each other in terms of length,
grammatical structures and meanings (literal/figurative). However, they all share
the same feature: all of them include a colour as the key component. These idioms,
then are called idioms of colours. So, idioms of colors are the ones that contain
colours as their key component words.
1.2

How are idioms of colours created?

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The world we are living in is full of colours: blue sky, green oceans, red roses,
yellow leaves of autumn, even the deep black eyes and rosy cheeks of girls, etc.
Colours of nature seen in beautiful scenery, colours of clothes, of food, of
everything in everyday life are so familiar with people that no one now can
imagine a less colourful world or a colourless one.
At the dawn of human‟s time, people could only be aware of the original of
world around them. They admired the beautiful nature, and described them with
various colours they could see. When human became more intelligent, more
civilized they began to related colours to other things such as the feelings or some
states of emotion. In modern world today, once again, due to the mental
development, man has made a great progress in their understanding, observing and
using colours. Many expressions with colours as key words appear, referring to the
things that have no relation with original colours. Such expressions are idioms.
Therefore, it can be said that the habit of using words referring to colours in
language that forms the prerequisite for the creation of using a group of idioms –
idioms of colours.
However, some idioms of colours originate from events, stories, etc such as the
English idiom „like the black hole of Calculta’, India, in 1756 when a large number

of Europeans were put into a small prison for a night. In the morning, only few
were still alive. So this idiom is used metaphorically to refer „very hot,
uncomfortable and with no fresh air coming in‟.
1.3

How are metaphors in idioms of colours embodied?
As mentioned in previous parts, metaphor is a main stylistic device to build any

kind of idioms. Idioms of colours are not the exception. Words denoting colours
appear figurative in idioms. They do not keep its literal meaning since there is a
transference in both their denotational and connotational meanings. The word
„black‟ is not merely an adjective used to describe the colour of something - but it
is used variously in many idioms of colours with different meanings. Here are
some examples:
- Be in the black
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- A black day
- A black sheep
From these idioms, we see that the word „black‟ is metaphorically used. Its
literal meaning no longer exists in these idioms. Instead, there appears
transferences in the meaning: „be in the black’ means „have money in bank
account‟; ‘a black day’ means „an unlucky day‟; „a black sheep’ means „disgrace to
the family or group‟.
Of course, when saying words denoting colours that get new meanings in
idioms, we do not conclude that there is no link between the literal and figurative
meaning. Because they are metaphors, they must be created on the basis of
similarities, to some extent. Let us consider the idiom ‘a black day’. Literally, the
idiom can be understood as „a day of darkness‟, but gradually the word ‘black’

takes this figurative meaning and now is used as a metaphor in the whole phrase.

2 An analysis of English idioms embodying metaphors in
comparison with Vietnamese ones
2.1 An analysis of the metaphorical expressions of English and Vietnamese
idioms of colours through a cultural observation
Words denoting colours especially some basic colours: black, blue, green,
white, red are not often literally used according to their meanings of idioms of
colours.
2.1.1 Black
This is one of the colours that is used most commonly in idioms of colours. In
fact, among the 197 English idioms of colours having been collected, idioms in
„black‟ accounted for 46 items. As defined in dictionary, something that is „black‟
is of the darknest colour that there is like the colour of the sky at night when there
is no light at all. ‘Black’ is associated with the darkness and many of its
metaphorical uses in English are similar to those of dark. So, it is used to talk about
unhappy feelings or situations, about something bad, illegal and even devilish.

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For example, when someone is in „a black mood’, he/she feels very miserable
and depressed. Eg: He is in the black mood now. So he does not want to do
anything.
- If you describe a period as black (eg. black day), you mean that it is successful
time, possibly the worst you have ever experienced. Eg: The day of the channel
ferry disaster was certainly was a black day for all the families concerned. (21;
322)
-

„Black comedy’/’humor’ involves laughing at frightening or unpleasant things

such as death or war. Eg: A shocking black comedy, perhaps the most controversial
movie in 1992. (10; 299)
- „Black‟ is also the colour of anger, death or mourning such as in „a black look‟
(look someone with anger). Eg: When I remark that some people let us the others
do all the work, Paul obviously thought I meant him because he gave me a black
look. (21; 322)
- If someone is „the black sheep’, you will find it quite difficult or complicated to
understand. It will not get the right meaning of the sentence without understanding
the use of metaphor in the idiomatic expression „the black sheep’. Usually, when
we say someone is above, we want to mean that „a person considered disgraceful
by his family‟. Eg: My brother is a lawyer and my sister is a doctor. They say I‟m
the black sheep of the family because I decide to be an actor. (18; 292)
- Basing on the fact that both kettles and pots would be burn black after long use
over a fire, the idiom „the pot calling the kettle black’ is used metaphorically to say
„a person is criticizing another for having the same faults as he has himself‟. Eg:
When he blames her for wasting money he conveniently forget that he regularly
losses half his own wages by betting on the wrong horse – it is the pot calling the
kettle black. (18; 161)
However, it is very strange that „black‟ can at the same time, the colour of
politeness and formality. For instance, „black tie’ (means formal evening dress that
concludes a black bow tie and dinner jacket) Eg: Because it was one of the most

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important events on the season‟s calendar, black tie was the required dress. Some
people came dressed formally, but were not admitted, much to their chagrin. (9; 9)
- ‘Black’ is also used in some idioms that contain two colours such as „black and

blue’ that means „showing the sign of having been physically harmed in some
ways‟. Eg: The man threatened to beat the boy black and blue for stealing. (18;
26).
Two contrast colours „black‟ and ‘white’ in some idioms like ‘in black and
white’ (simple direct, often with important detail left out). Eg: We can gain a lot if
we stop seeing human sexual behavior in harsh black and white terms. (Women‟s
Own 19 October 74) or the idiom „two blacks don’t make a white’ (two wrongs
don‟t make a right).
Let us turn to see Vietnamese equivalent word ‘đen’ is used in idioms of
colours. It is notable that in Vietnamese idioms, the word ‘đen’ almost remains its
literal meaning but its appearance in the idioms makes a whole expressions
metaphorical and figurative. It also has a bad meaning that often expresses illegal,
dirty, unluckiness, death and evil. Here are some examples:
- ‘Chó đen giữ mực’ means „disobedient, difficult to change the bad character‟.
Eg: Về sau chúng chết, khơng chừa, chó đen giữ mực, anh ấy kiên trì lắm, nhưng
càng ngày càng tệ, phải bỏ đấy. (11; 87). This idiom has the same meaning with the
idiom „chó đen một mực’. Eg: Thơi được mày đã chó đen một mực thì ơng mày
cho mày miếng đất ở bìa làng, vợ chồng đem nhau ra đấy mà ở. (11; 87)
- To describe an unluckiness, a hard life, the idiom „cơn đen vận túng’ is used a
lot in literature and real life. Eg: Gặp lúc cơn đen vận túng, có mồm thì cắp, có
nắp thì đậy, cũng nên giả dại làm ngây. (Nhiều tác giả, Phú nôm)
- If someone has a black face, looks unfriendly, we can see the idiom „Mặt sắt
đen sì‟ to describe his appearance. But this idiom has metaphorical meaning „very
bad hearted people, have no sympathy towards unlucky people‟.
For instance,
Trông lên mặt sắt đen sì
Lập nghiêm trước đã ra uy nặng lời
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(Nguyễn Du, Truyện Kiều)
-

Moreover, „đen’ is also metaphorically used in Vietnamese idioms „nhập nhằng

đánh lận con đen‟ to describe someone‟s crafty and dishonest aim at making
profits. Eg: „Bọn Mỹ, nguỵ thường dùng thói nhập nhằng đánh lận con đen, tuyên
truyền nào là quốc gia, dân tộc đẹp đẽ để che giấu nội dung xấu xa thối nát của
chúng‟. (11; 242)
- Like English, Vietnamese idioms of colours have also combination of two
contrast colours ‘đen’ and ‘trắng’ such as ‘đổi trắng thay đen’ to refer to some one
who is unfaithful or devious. Eg: Trong tay có sẵn đồng tiền, dẫu lịng đổi trắng
thay đen khác gì. (Nguyễn Du, Truyện Kiều)
2.1.2

White

Words denoting colours are variously used in idioms. Nearly all colours appear
in idioms, which contribute to liveliness of a language. These appearances make
expressions more figurative. In all societies, „white‟ is the colour of holiness,
dignity and innocence. So is in Britain. Something that is ‘white’ is the palest
colour that is like the colour of snow or milk. While ‘black’ is often associated
with negative things, ‘white’ is associated with positive, honest behavior.
- If you describe someone‟s character as „whiter than white’ you mean you have
not heard any bad reports about their behavior and honesty and morality. Eg: There
was no point inventing a whiter than white character. (10; 301)
- If you say something is ‘in black and white’, you mean that the issues involved
are very straightforward and it is easy to see what is right and what is wrong.
People often use ‘in black and white’ to express their disapproval of ideas or ways
of thinking, which make complicated issues seem more than they really are. Eg:

You might expect him to see everything in black and white. (10; 301)
-

From the story the Kings of Siam, when they wished to get rid of followers

who displeased them, the King would give the follower a white elephant (the white
elephant was so costly to keep that its owner would be ruined), we use the idiom
„white elephant’ to describe something which is big, expensive but worthless and

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