Idioms of comparison in english and vietnamese related to animals = idioms của so sánh in english và việt nam liên quan đến động vật

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VINH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

TRAN THI NHUNG

IDIOMS OF COMPARISON
IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE RELATED TO ANIMALS

GRADUATION THESIS

Vinh, May 2015

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VINH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

IDIOMS OF COMPARISON
IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE RELATED TO ANIMALS

GRADUATION THESIS
FIELD: LINGUISTIC

Student

:

Tran Thi Nhung

Class

:

52B2 - English

Supervisor :

Tran Ba Tien, Ph.D.

Vinh, May 2015

ACKNOWLEDEMENT

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First of all, I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all teachers at the
Foreign Languages Department, Vinh University who had provided the great
amount of theoretical and practical knowledge for me during four years and gave
me an opportunity and the best conditions to do this study. It is my honor and good
fortune to be one of English major students at Vinh university.
In addition, I want to take this opportunity to say thank to my supervisor, D.r
Tran Ba Tien, Department Chair Professor of English, Vinh University. I am
grateful to him for transfering his precious experience and sharing his knowledge
with me. From finding an appropriate subject in the beginning to the process of
writing thesis, D.r Tran Ba Tien offers his unreserved help and guidance and lead
me to finish my thesis step by step. Without his kind and patient instruction, it is
impossible for me to finish this thesis.

Besides, I am deeply indebted to my beloved family for their
wholehearted support and encouragement. I also would like to dedicate my special
thanks to my friends, who have supported, cooperated and provided me with
valuable suggestions. They are busy with their own thesis and work, but they are
willing to give their helping hands as soon as I am in need. The simple phrase,
“thank you”, cannot present how much their friendship means to me.
Finally, I cannot fully express my gratitude to all the people whose direct
and indirect support assisted me to accomplish my thesis in time. For the completid
this thesis, I have been fortunate to receive invaluable the help from many people.
Vinh, May, 2015
Student:

Tran Thi Nhung

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDEMENT ............................................................................................... i
PART A: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1
1. Rational of the study. ...................................................................................................1
2. Aims of the study.........................................................................................................2
3. Objective of the study ..................................................................................................2
4. Scope of the study .......................................................................................................2
5. Methods of the study ...................................................................................................2
6. Orgnanization of the study ..........................................................................................3
PART B. DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................4
Chapter I: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .......... 4
1.1. Review of previous study .........................................................................................4
1.1.1. Previous studies of English idioms in foreign countries. ......................................4

1.1.2. Previous studies of English and Vietnamese idioms in Vietnam ..........................4
1.2. Theoretical backgrougd ............................................................................................5
1.2.1. Definition of idioms ..............................................................................................5
1.2.2. Classification of Idioms .........................................................................................6
1.2.3. Features of English and Vietnamese Idioms .......................................................12
1.2.4. Relation between Idioms and Culture .................................................................15
1.3. Idioms and other Language Units...........................................................................16
1.3.1. Idioms and Phrases ..............................................................................................16
1.3.2. Idioms and Collocations ......................................................................................16
1.3.3. Idioms and Proverbs ............................................................................................17
Chapter II : FINDING AND DISCUSSION .............................................................18
2.1. Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese: Contrastive Analysis ............18
2.2. Idioms with Animals in English .............................................................................25
2.3. Idioms with Animals in Vietnamese ......................................................................27
2.4. Contrastive analysis of Idioms with Animals in English and Vietnamese ............29
2.5. The cross-culture differences .................................................................................31
PART C: CONCLUSION ...........................................................................................36
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................38
APPENDIX...................................................................................................................40

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rational of the study.
In the world today, there are many languages, of which English is the most
widely used. Approximately, 350 million people speak English as their first language
and the same number use it as a second language.
In Vietnam, English has been considered as a tool of international
communication, and the need of learning English is becoming and more urgent. It can't

be denied that all foreign learners in general and Vietnamese learners in particular
desire to master English as the native speakers; however, they usually face a lot of
difficulties that prevent them from gaining successful conversations. One of the
reasons for these problems is in the way people perceive and use idioms.
Idioms are used regularly and naturally in everyday communication, however, the
inner meaning of the concept of idioms is still unclear to a lot of people. Therefore, I
think a study on the subject of idioms in Vietnamese and English is helpful for
improving the knowledge of language learners, as well as the students learning English
in general. The idioms is not only a particular lexical item - an important part of the
language but also reflects the cultural characteristics of each ethnic. As far as you
know, idiomatic expressions make English become colorful and full of vitality, so they
are often used very much in the native speakers„ speech and in the writing such as
news, songs, movies, etc. However, these idioms are sometimes are not easy to
understand and study their meanings.
Both English and Vietnamese languages are rich in images and have a lot of
idioms. And idioms using the images of animals take a large portion. Both cultures
share the same capabilities of thought, the same laws of cognition and a common,
universal morality. Moreover, some animals have the same important role in people‟s
lives in the two cultures, and have the same attributes and features. Therefore, we have
a large number of similar idioms related to animals, both in the form and in the
message. So as a student of the foreign languages department at Vinh University, this
urges me to conduct the thesis entitled “Idioms of Comparision in English and
Vietnamese related to animals”, to find out the semantic and syntactic features of
idioms in English and Vietnamese and find out the similarities and differences
between them. To some extent, I hope the result of the study can help Vietnamese

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learners of English use English idioms effectively in communication so that their

speech is more adequate, natural, interesting and imaginative.
2. Aims of the study
The first aim is to identify the similarities and differences between animal related
idioms in Vietnamese and English.
The second aim is to explore their idiomatic meanings in English and Vietnamese
Another aim is to gain a deeper understanding about the cultural contrast between
the two languages.
The next aim is to help translating idioms. Student will have some certain
materials to learn and use them. Then we also give some suggestion to teach and
translate idioms.
The last aim is to provide a collection of English and Vietnamese idioms.
3. Objective of the study
With the aims mentioned above, the study tries to reach the following objectives:
- Investigating stylistic and semantic features of English and Vietnamese idioms
related to animals.
- Finding out the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese
related to animals.
- Making some suggestions for teaching, learning and translating of English and
Vietnamese idioms.
4. Scope of the study
We all know that idioms are extensively used by a large range of speakers in both
languages - English and Vienamese. However, we have no ambition to cover the
idioms as well as all kinds of idioms. Because the time as well as ability is limited, this
study focuses on analyzing typical idioms with animal which express Vietnamese and
English cultures.
5. Methods of the study
The first step was that I searched English and Vietnamese comparative idioms
related to animals as many as possible, a list of which can be found in the appendix.
Because, the study describes and compare the syntactic, semantic features of
idioms related to animals in English versus Vietnamese and then withdraw some

implications for the teaching and learning of English and Vietnamese as a foreign

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language. In order to achieve these aims and objectives, the descriptive and
comparative methods are utilized.
The descriptive method is used to describe in details the syntactic and semantic
features through the examples of idioms related to animals collected from references,
books, stories, novels, dictionaries and Internet websites.
In addition, the comparative method could be used to identify the similarities and
differences in the syntactic and semantic features of idioms related to animals in
English versus Vietnamese.
In short, with the combination of the descriptive and contrastive methods,
syntactic and semantic similarities as well as differences of English and Vietnamese
idioms related to animals could be discovered.
6. Orgnanization of the study
The thesis comprises of three main parts:
The first part is Introduction. This part presents the rationale, the aims, objective,
the scope, the methods and the organization of the study.
The second part is Development. This part is divided into two chapters. The first
chapter is literature review and theoretical back ground of the study. The seconds
chapter is the finding and discussion of the study.
The last part is Conclusion and some suggestions for teaching and learning
English Idioms. This part comprises of the conlusion, the implication the limitation
and suggestion for further study.

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PART B. DEVELOPMENT
Chapter I
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.1. Review of previous study
1.1.1. Previous studies of English idioms in foreign countries.
Idioms are an mportant factor in the speech of English native speakers as well as
other foreign language speakers. Therefore, they has become an interest of a great
number of language researchers.
In English, we can mentions some writers and linguists since the 1950s such as
W.Mc.Mordie (1954), V.II.Collins (1958), Robert J.Dixon(1971), D.A.Cruse (1987).
In fact, idiom is not a new subject in lingustic study. A traditional view of idioms is
homophonous with grammatically well-formed transparent expressions, which is in
“Lexical semantics” (1987), Cruse
We can also say that, idioms have attracted many language researchers all over
the world. They are an important factor in native - lilke discourse by Enghlish as well
as a foreign language speaker. There are some important books such as “Idioms
Organization” by Wright. “The American Heritage Dictionnary of Idioms” by Ammer
or “Oxford Dictionary of Enghlish Idioms” by Jenifer Speake. It provides learners with
updated idioms including clear explanations in typical contexts.
What is more, there is also in “Essential Idioms in English”, by Dixon, or “Idioms
for Everyday use” by Broukal, M and so on.
1.1.2. Previous studies of English and Vietnamese idioms in Vietnam
For some recent decades, Vietnam idioms have been recognized, collected and
explained systematically.
In Vietnames, idioms have attracted the intention of many Vietnamese
researchers. Đỗ Hữu Châu analyzes Vietnamses idioms and show their semantic and
syntactic features in “ Từ vựng, ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt”. Moreover, in “Thành ngữ, tục
ngữ lược giải ”, Nguyễn Trần Thu explains the meanings of the most common idioms
and proverbs in such simple, clear ways that learners can see this book for consulting
and reference purposes.

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Besides, there have been a great number of collections of Vietnamese idioms
such as: “Từ ngữ, tục ngữ Việt Nam ” by Đặng Hồng Chương, “1575 thành ngữ, tục
ngữ cần bàn thêm” by Lê Gia.
In addition,“Thành Ngữ và Tục Ngữ Việt Nam Chọn Lọc” by Trần Quang Mân,
“Từ Điển Thành Ngữ Anh Việt” by Lã Thành, “Từ Điển Thành Ngữ Tiếng Anh” by
Vĩnh Bá, Hoàng Văn Hành with “Thành Ngữ Học Tiếng Việt”.
However, up to now, there have been no more studies on idioms. This is reason
why this study come into being investigated in an attempt to focus on semantic and
syntatic feature of idioms in Enghlish and Vietnamese.
1.2. Theoretical backgrougd
1.2.1. Definition of idioms
Idioms is a combination of stable words both in English and Vietnamese such as
“Friend in need is a friend in deed, see eye to eye, một con ngựa đau cả tàu bỏ cỏ, gần
mực thì đen gần đèn thì rạng, etc”. Up to now, there are many definitions of idioms in
English and Vietnamese such as:
According to Oxford Dictionary of Enghlish Idioms, “An idiom is a word or
phrase which means something different from what is says”.
According to Jenifer and W.Mc Mordie in English idiom and How to Use, “An
indiom is a number of words which, taken together, mean something different from the
individual words of the idiom when they stand alone”.
Besides, In the Oxford Advanced Leanner‟s Dictionary of Current English
(Oxford University Press-1995) difines idioms as “An idiom is a phase or sentense
whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must
be learnt as a whole unit”.
Next, in the Cambridge dictionary of America Idioms, “An idiom is a word or
phase whose meaning is different from the meanings of each word considered

separately. These phrases have a fixed form - they usually cannot be changed - and
they are often informal, but they can also be slang, or even slightly”.
To sum up, in English, an idiom is a turn of phrase which may seem
incomprehensible to someone who is not familiar with the language in which it is
spoken. As a general rule, popular sayings are often idioms. However, Idioms are also
very difficult to translate.

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On the other hand, in Vietnamese, Hồ Lê refers “An idiom is a word combination
which has stable structure and figurative meaning and is used to describe an image, a
paenomenon, a characteristic, or a state”.
Furthermore, Đái Xuân Ninh defines “An idiom is a set expression whose
constituents lose their independence to some extent and combine into a rather
complete and stable unit”.
Idioms in both English and Vietnamese are structurally and lexically closely combined phrases are whose meanings are completely different from their component
parts. Besides, we cannot modify, add, extract or replace their components without
breaking or distorting the core meaning.
However, with the aims of syntactic and semantic analysis of idioms in both
English and Vietnamese, I mainly base on the definition given by Cruse, idioms are
defined as “Fixed phrases, consisting of more than one word, with meanings that
cannotbe inferrer from the meanings of individual words”.
1.2.2. Classification of Idioms
1.2.2.1. Classification of English Idioms
Some authors have classified English idioms into topic groups and countries.
They have also listed the amount of idioms belonging to each topic or country.
a. Idioms by topic
Animals: the birds and the bees
Body and bodily functions: at arm’s length

Buildings and construction: to drive someone up the wall
Character and appearance: as cold as ice
Children and babies: like a kid in a candy store
Clothes: at the drop of a hat
Colours: black and white
Death: at death’s door
Drinking and pubs: to turn water in to wine
Drugs: close but no cigar
Food: as cool as a cucumber
Furniture and household fittings: to cut a rug
Gambling: to go for broke

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Law: to bring someone to book
Men and women: man in the street
Money: for my money
Music: to call the tune
Nationality and ethnicity: for England
Nature: as cold as a stone
Numbers: to feel like a million
Person‟s name: as rich as Croesus
Place name: to set the Thames on fire
Plants and flowers: to gild the lily
Police and crime: to get away with murder
Politics: on the stump
Profession or work: all in a day’s work
Religion: at the bottom of the totem pole
Sex and sexuality: to play the field

Sport: to drop the ball
Technology and science: to hit the airwaves
Time: behind the times
Transport and travel: to hit the road
War and conflict: war of words
Weather: in a fog
b. Idioms by country
American English: as mad as a wrongly shot hog
Australian English: to cut down the tall poppies
British English: by a long chalk
Canadian English: The Mountie always gets his man
Indian English: to do the needful
Irish English: Even the dogs in the street know
New Zealand English: across the ditch
Scottish English: to turn the crack
c. Basing on parts of speech, Jennifer Seidl – W. McMordie (1988) gave some
groups of idioms as follows:

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- Key words with idiomatic uses
Adjectives and adverbs: bad, good, long etc
Nouns: end, line, thing etc
Miscellaneous: all, how, too etc
- Idioms with nouns and adjectives
Noun phrases: a drop in the ocean
Adjective + noun: a close shave
- Idiomatic pairs
Pairs of adjectives: cut and dried

Pairs of nouns: wear and tear
Pairs of adverbs: more or less
Pairs of verbs: hit and miss
Identical pairs: bit by bit
- Idioms with prepositions: by, for, from etc
- Phrasal verbs: act up, call something off, make something up to someone etc
- Verbal idioms: blow one‟s own trumpet, call a spade a spade, do a bunk, etc.
- Idioms with key words from special categories
Animals: bird, bee, bull etc
Colours: black, blue, red etc
Numbers, size, measurement: one, inch, mile etc
Parts of the body: arm, back, nose etc
Time: day, minute, night etc
- Idioms with comparisons
Comparisons with as … as: as bold as brass
Comparisons with like: to go like the wind
c. Basing on functions, idioms can be also classified as follows:
- Idioms as noun phrases
e.g. peace and quiet (peace/ calm): It is nice to have some peace and quiet.
the cat’s whiskers (wonderful): She thinks she is the cat’s whisker.
dog’s dinner (over dressed in a showy way): He was dressed up like a dog’s
dinner.

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- Idioms as verb phrases
e.g. to ump out of my skin (give a big jump): I jump out of my skin when I heard
the bang.
to get the bottom of things (find the true the explanation or the state of affair):

We need a proper investigation to get the bottom of things.
- Idioms as adjective phrases
e.g. as good as gold (generous, helpful, well-behaved): He is as good as gold.
hard and fast (can not be changed in any circumstances): There are no hard and
fast rules about this.
- Idioms as adverbial phrases
e.g. as likely as not (certainly/ surely): He’ll be at home now, as likely as not.
- Idioms as prepositional phrases
e.g. in a black mood (a bad mood/ temper): Gerry is in a black mood.
- Idioms as interjections
e.g. Well, I never!
Never say die!
Take your time!
- Idioms as independent clauses
e.g. A little bird told me ( It is not necessary for me to tell you who told me this)
1.2.2.2. Classification of Vietnamese Idiomsdent
a. According to Luong Van Dang, Vietnamese idioms (in “Thành ngữ tiếng
Việt”) can be classified as follows:
- Idioms with three single words or more
e.g. bạn nối khố (a bosom friend)
bở hơi tai (fagged out)
treo đầu dê, bán thịt chó (He cries wine and sells vinegar)
trẻ không tha, già không thương (Neither consideration for the young nor the pity
for the old)…
- Idioms with a single word and a compound word
e.g. bé hạt tiêu (little body, great mind)
câm miệng hến (mute as a fish)
có máu mặt (to be in comfortable circumstances)…

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- Idioms with two compound words
e.g. buôn gian bán lận (to cheat in commerce)
nhắm mắt xuôi tay (to die)
năm xung tháng hạn (an unpropitious period of time) …
- Idioms as simple sentences
e.g. châu chấu đá xe (David fights Goliath)
êch ngồi đáy giếng (a frog in a well)
mèo mù vớ cá rán (The devil looks after his own)…
- Idioms with alliterations or compound words
e.g. hì hà hì hục (be completely engrossed in)
lảm nhảm lảm nhàm (to drivel)
ăn bớt ăn xén (to take a stealthy rake off)…
- Idioms with symmetrical comparisons
e.g. nát như tương (as pastry as soy)
đen như mực (inky-black))
nặng như chì (as heavy as the lead)
nguây nguẩy như mẹ quẩy tôm (to turn away in anger)…
- Idioms with summary comparisons
e.g. như cá gặp nước (feel like duck in water)
như đỉa phải vôi (like a scalded cat)
như nước đổ đầu vịt (like water off a duck’s back)…
However, the common structures of Vietnamese idioms are the structures which
have two balanced members. Idioms are also formed by joining rhymes (usually
interior rhymes) such as bóc ngắn cắn dài (to live beyond one’s means), bé xé ra to (to
make mountains out of molehills) etc. These structures do not only make idioms easy
to say and remember, but they also keep the fixation and unshakeable characteristics of
idioms.
b. According to Nguyen Cong Duc (1995), Vietnamese idioms can be divided into

two main groups:
- Idioms with symmetrical structures
Symmetrical structures consist of two members which have the same forms and
harmonious balanced contents (opposite or supplement of each other). These structures

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form a large number of idioms in general and idioms showing speaking activities in
particular. They are concretized by the following expressions:
- AxAy (A: verb; x, y: combinative words)
e.g. buôn gian bán lận (to cheat in commerce)
ăn khơng nói có (to be dishonest)
ăn thật làm giả (to work perfunctorily) …
- BxBy (B: noun; x, y: combinative words)
e.g. điều ong tiếng ve (unfavourable reputation)
mồm năm miệng mười (loud-mouthed)
mồm loa mép dải ( loud-spoken)…
- CxCy (C: adjective; x, y: combinative words)
e.g. dại mồm dại miệng (foolish tongues)
vụng ăn vụng nói (not good at speaking)
vụng chèo khéo chống (A bad workman blames his tools)…
- DxDy (D: numeral; x, y: combinative words)
e.g. nửa nạc nửa mỡ (neither flesh nor fish)
nửa đùa nửa thật (half seriously)
nửa úp nửa mở (equivocal)…
Idioms with symmetrical structures can be compound sentences; for example, có
mồm thì cắp, có nắp thì đậy (to keep silent for good).
- Idioms with comparative structures
These are the common structures of Vietnamese idioms. A như (like/as) B is

considered as the comprehensive form of comparative idioms. The words such as như,
bằng, tày are usually between A and B, and they are concretized by the following
expressions:
- A như B (A: verb or adjective; B: noun)
e.g. nói như vẹt (to parrot))
ngang như cua (utterly nonsensical)
chua như dấm (sour like vinegar))…
- Ax như B (Ax: verb-adjective phrase; B: noun)
e.g. nói dối như cuội (to be a colossal liar)
nói ngọt như đường (to use honeyed words)

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nói dẻo như kẹo (to be smooth-tongued)…
- A như Bx (A: usually verb; Bx: phrase expressing activity)
e.g. dỗ như dỗ vong (to soothe)
chửi như vặn thịt (to abuse someone regularly)
chửi như hát hay (to heap abuses on)…
- Ax như Bx (Ax: phrase consisting of a verb and an adjective; Bx: phrase
expressing activity)
e.g. nói dai như chó nhai dẻ rách (to talk constantly)
chuyện nở như ngơ rang (to chat loudly)
chuyện giịn như bắp rang (to chat loudly)…
1.2.3. Features of English and Vietnamese Idioms
1.2.3.1. Features of English Idioms
According to many linguists, a group of words which has a fixed structure,
indivisible meaning, and can appear in speech like a word is called an idiom.
Therefore, idioms can be distinguished by their grammatical and semantic features.
a. Grammatical features

It is very easy to realize that most idioms are fixed expressions. There are no
changes in structure, word order and lexicology. We can take the idiom black and blue
(of bruises) as an example. It would sound uncanny if we changed it into blue and
black. It means that it wouldn‟t make sense. Moreover, when an idiom is used in a
complete sentence, it is hardly change into passive voice. Let us consider the idiom to
stuff one‟s face in the sentence. She is stuffing her face with chocolates (She is eating
a lot of chocolates); It would be unnatural to say Her face is stuffed with chocolates.
However, some other idioms are more flexible; we can make some changes if
they don‟t lose their idiomatic meaning. This means that idioms are only fixed in some
of their parts but not all. The alteration of component words can help to form a
different idiom of the same or different meaning. Appearing on the mass media is in
this way of using. They no longer keep the full form of the idiom but add some more
components to make it more vivid, particularly effective when writing articles. We can
change the tense of the verb in the idiom to give someone the cold shoulder (to treat
someone in a cold or unfriendly way), or the verb in to have one’s finger with to get
one’s finger.

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In addition, idioms may take many different forms or structures. Some idioms are
noun phrases such as tender age, a black sheep, forty winks, etc. Some are verb
phrases such as to spare one’s blushes, to do someone proud, to cut one’s coat
according to one’s cloth, etc. The most important thing is that an idiom can have its
own regular, irregular or even incorrect grammatical structure. to be at large is an
example of grammatical irregularity. The idiom is formed by verb + preposition +
adjective. In English, no structure like this is normally accepted because an adjective
doesn‟t usually come after a preposition singly. However, this can be considered as an
exception in language.
b. Semantic features

When mentioning the semantic features of an idiom, we often talk about its
meaning. A linguist said “the meaning of an idiom is the special chemical mixture of
all components’ meaning, which is completely new in quality”. This means that it is
very important to understand idioms metaphorically. We can not usually discover the
meanings by looking up the individual words in a dictionary when studying idioms;
most of the idioms are metaphorical rather than literal. For example, in order to
understand the idiom (to feel) like fish out of water, we have to consider its meaning
metaphorically as to feel uncomfortable because of unfamiliar surroundings.
Another feature concerning itself with semantics is that idioms can range from
positive, neutral to negative meaning. Some idioms have positive meanings such as a
willing horse (a keen worker), to get it into one’s head (to deeply understand), or to
warm the cockles of one’s heart (to make someone feel pleased or happy). Some have
neutral meanings as to watch the world go by (to observe the others while doing
nothing oneself), etc. And many other idioms are negative. For instance, crocodile
tears means insincere tears, to waste one‟s breath means to talk or give advice without
having any effects, or to wash one‟s dirty linen in public means to discuss or argue
about one‟s personal affairs in public, etc. All those examples show that the nuances of
idiomatic meanings are very complicated. They mainly depend on the nuances of their
key components.

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1.2.3.2. Features of Vietnamese Idioms
In Vietnamese, idioms are considered as very special language units because they
reflect Vietnamese cultural characteristics. The forms and contents of idioms are also
distinguished by grammatical and semantic features.
a. Grammatical features
Most of Vietnamese linguists have had the same point of view about the forms of
Vietnamese idioms. Nguyen Van Tu said “Idioms are fixed expressions whose word

components do not have their own individual meanings and become a solid block”. He
emphasized the combination of the components forming the meaning of idioms.
Nguyen Thien Giap (1975), did consider an idiom as a fixed expression. Although
Nguyen Duc Dan (1986) didn‟t focus on the forms of Vietnamese idioms, he dealt
with the fixation of idioms. He said “Idioms are language units which have fixed
forms”. Hoang Van Hanh (1987) attached special importance to the components
forming idioms. He affirmed that an idiom was a fixed group of words whose form
was unchanged.
It can be said that Vietnamese idioms are fixed groups of words whose forms are
unchanged: the fixed combination comes from settled words and expressions such as
bắt cá hai tay (to run after two hares), mèo mù vớ cá rán (The devil looks after his
own), cá chậu chim lồng (behind prison bars), ăn chắc mặc bền (solidity first), chuột
sa chĩnh gạo (to get a windfall), etc. The fixation shows that we can not change the
order of words or use the synonyms (similar words) to replace any components of an
idiom in a casual way. This is a basic feature helping us to realize idioms easily.
However, in fact, there are some fixed expressions which are not idioms such as bánh
xe lịch sử (the wheel of history), gia đình văn hóa (good family), khoa học kỹ thuật
(sciences and techniques) etc. Therefore, in order to realize an idiom correctly, we can
not only look at this feature but also other ones.
b. Semantic features
There have been a lot of different opinions about the semantic features of
Vietnamese idioms. According to Nguyen Van Menh (1971), an idiom introduces an
image, a phenomenon, a state, a personality, an attitude, etc. This opinion is quite
simple and general. In 1986, he gave his own new point of view: Idioms have their
own meanings and nominative functions, and are used in daily speaking. Nguyen Van

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Tu said “The meaning of an idiom does not come from individual components which

may have their images or not. Its meaning can be different from the meaning of each
component or does come from each original word”.
Nguyen Thien Giap focused on the basic semantic features of idioms: Being rich
in imagery is a basic feature of idioms. Idioms express concepts basing on specific
images and symbols. The imagery of idioms is made from its metaphor and
comparison.
Although there have been different ideas about the semantic features of idioms,
Vietnamese linguists have all shared the same point of view as follows:
Firstly, the meaning of an idiom is a perfect whole which does not come from the
meanings of individual components added.
Secondly, the meaning of an idiom expresses the reflection of things or concepts.
Thirdly, the meaning of an idiom is usually figurative and descriptive.
Although many linguists affirm that idioms have their own figurative and
imaginary meanings, we shouldn‟t consider this as an absolute fact. In Vietnamese,
there are also some idioms which have literal sense coming from the meanings of their
components. They may be comparative idioms such as nát như tương (as pasty as
soy), đen như cột nhà cháy (as black as a sweep) and bám như đỉa đói (to stick like a
limpet), whose imagery comes from the images compared with activities or properties.
Some Sino-Vietnamese idioms such as nhất cử lưỡng tiện (to kill two birds with one
stone), bán tín bán nghi (half doubtful) and bách phát bách trúng (to hit the mark one
hundred times out of one hundred) also have literal sense basing on the meanings of
their components.
1.2.4. Relation between Idioms and Culture
Idioms are a special kind of speech form that is particular in meaning,
grammatical structure and usage. Idiomatic expressions are even difficult for English
native speakers because their meanings cannot be determined through an analysis of
their individual words. Unlike literal language, it is impossible to explain the idiom
from the literal meaning of the individual words. Thus, idioms are difficult to
understand and acquire, because they are a combination of two or more words, which
function as a unit of meaning. They usually involve either metaphorical or figurative

meanings that can be understood in certain cultural contexts and must not be taken

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literally.As we all know, language is closely related to culture, and can be said as a
part of culture. From a dynamic view, language and culture interact with each other
and shape each other. Language is the carrier of culture which in turn is the content of
language. We can dig out cultural features from language and explain language
phenomena with culture.
Idioms as a special form of language exist in both of them and carry a large
amount of cultural information such as history, geography, religion, custom,
nationality psychology, thought pattern, etc. They are the heritage of history and
product of cultural evolvement. Consequently, we can learn a lot about culture through
studying idioms and in turn get better understanding of idioms by learning the cultural
background behind them.
1.3. Idioms and other Language Units
1.3.1. Idioms and Phrases
Phrase is a short group of words which are often used together or a sequence of
two or more words arranged in a grammatical construction and acting as a conceptual
unit. As in Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistic, it is
defined “is a group of words which form a grammatical unit”. A phrase does not
contain a finite verb and does not have a subject predicate structure.
Phrase is a group of words that are used together in a fixed expression.
Examples; “take off”, “do away with”
Idiom is an expression whose meaning is different from the meaning of
individual words. It can either be one word or a group of words which when used
together have a different meaning from the literal meaning of its component words.
Examples: “Catch one’s eye”, “keep one’s fingers crossed”, “state of the art”.
1.3.2. Idioms and Collocations

According to Cruse, “the term collocation can be used to refer to sequences of
lexical items habitually co-occur”. We can say thaty collocation two words of groups
of words that often go together and from a common expression.
A collocations is the way words, combine in a language to produce natural
speech and writing. For example when you say “pay attention” it could be “give
attention, or put attention” but it is not, it is pay attention because it is the natural way
in which native speakers express that.

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An idiom is a sequence of words which has different meaning as a group from the
meaning they would have if you understood them separately. For example, when you
say “it’s raining cats and dogs” you do not really mean that cats and dogs are falling
down from the sky but that there is a heavy rain.
1.3.3. Idioms and Proverbs
A proverb is a folksy saying but an idiom is a folksy saying unique to culture of
ethnic group. A proverb is a statement that reveals wisdom or an experience shared by
many people. Proverbs are usually known by many people, stating something
commonly experienced or giving advice or a short popular saying, usually of ancient
origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought.
An idiom is a phrase that has a meaning of its own that cannot be understood
from the meanings of its individual words.
Here are some examples of idioms:
- To be fed up with means to be tired and annoyed with something that has been
happening for too long.
To rub someone the wrong way means to irritate someone
By the skin of your teeth means that something was successful, but only just
barely.
A proverb is a short popular saying that gives advice about how people should

behave or that expresses a belief that is generally thought to be true.
Here are some examples:
• Don’t cry over spilled milk.
• Those who live in glasshouse shouldn’t through stones.

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Chapter II : FINDING AND DISCUSSION
2.1. Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese: Contrastive Analysis
2.1.1. Similarities of Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese
2.1.1.1. The general features.
Whether in English and Vietnamese, idioms of comparison have been considered
to be a very engrossing topic which has intrigued lots linguists.The number of this
kind of idioms are comparatively large in both English and Vietnamese. In estimation,
there are approximately 700 of them in each language. Comparative idioms are
utilized very often in daily life, both in spoken and written language. Generally they
have structural stability. With figurative and symbolic meanings, they add vividness,
emotions, emphasis and “life” to the language, making every conversation more
exciting and engaging. Moreover, through idioms of comparison, a considerable
amount of “culture” of each country is graciously and truthfully revealed, helping us
understand a lot more about the lifestyles and viewpoints of those people who live far
way from us.
2.1.1.2. Coincidences in translation
As we have discussed in the previous parts, no culture is completely isolated and
unique. People of various cultures can sometimes share the same ways of thinking and
viewing in some matters. That may result in the shared biological and cultural features
which are usually referred as “biological and cultural universals”. That‟s to say,
although Vietnamese culture and English culture are remarkably different from each
other, there still exists some cases in which the ways of observing the world of the two

peoples are so similar. Vietnamese people and English people can at times express
concepts and ideas in the same ways. That reflects in language and also in idioms of
comparison. In fact, many comparative idioms in English have the exact equivalents in
Vietnamese. Below are some examples illustrating for those interesting coincidences:
Ex: Idioms of comparison in:
English

Vietnamese

- As black as coal

Đen như than

- As black as crow

Đen như quạ

- As bright as day

Sáng như ban ngày

- As brief as a dream

Ngắn như một giấc mộng

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- As brilliant as stars

Sáng như sao

- As cold as ice

Lạnh như đá/băng

- As fierce as a tiger

Dữ như cọp

- As firm as rock

Vững như bàn thạch

- As fleet as the wind

Nhanh như chớp

- As fresh a rose

Tươi như hoa

- As green as a leaf

Xanh như tàu lá

- As heavy as an elephant

Nặng như voi

- As hard as a stone

Cứng như đá

- As heavy as lead

Nặng như chì

- As hot as fire

Nóng như lửa

- As light as down

Nhẹ như lơng hồng

- As light as a feather

Nhẹ như lông hồng

- As pretty as a picture

Đẹp như tranh

- As quick as lightning

Nhanh như chớp

- As red as blood

Đỏ như máu

- As sharp as a razor

Sắc như dao cạo

- As sour as vinegar
- As stink as a polecat

Hôi như chồn

- As swift as lightning

Nhanh như chớp

- As smooth as velvet

Mượt như nhung

- As slow as a snail

Chậm như ốc sên

- As swift as an arrow

Nhanh như tên bắn

- As steady as rock

Cứng như đá

- As timid as a hare

Nhát như thỏ đế

- As thick as ants

Nhiều/đông như kiến

- As transparent as glass

Trong suốt như thủy tinh

- As yellow as saffron

Vàng như nghệ

- As wet as a drowned mouse

Ướt như chuột lột

- As white as snow

Trắng như tuyết

- As white as a sheet

Như tờ giấy trắng

- To fight like cat and dog

Như chó với mèo

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- To stick like a leech

Bám dai như đỉa

- To cry like a baby

Khóc như đứa trẻ

- To follow like a shadow

Theo như hình với bóng

- To stick like glue

Dính như keo

- To swim like a fish
……………….
As we can see, there are lots of English idioms of comparison which have exact
equivalents in Vietnamese language concerning not only meaning but also vocabulary.
In no uncertain terms, such coincident cases somehow make translation a little bit
easier.
2.1.2. Dissimilarities of Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese
As we have discussed in part I, culture always has a huge amount of influence on

language, which is, on its part, much like a mirror truthfully reflecting most of culture.
English and Vietnamese cultures are not comparatively the same. In fact, there are lots
of dissimilarities between them. Differences in culture indubitably entail differences in
language, including idioms of comparison.
2.1.2.1. Images compared are different but the same meanings
We can find lots of English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison which have
similar meanings but utilize different comparative images. Difference in culture is the
major explanation.
It‟s been clarified that Vietnamese people have an age-old tradition of wet-rice
cultivation. Since idioms as well as idioms of comparison are generally “product” of
labouring people through the process of working, discovering and creating, they also
carry with them the traces of wet-rice agriculture. In everyday life, Vietnamese
people usually have to do with different tools and animals that effectively serve their
farming. Consequently and easy to understand, when making and using comparative
idioms, they often take those familiar things into comparison.
For instant, the image of “buffaloes” was especially familiar to Vietnamese in the
past. As a strong, laborious, amenable domesticated animal, buffaloes are considered
to be good companions of farmers and sometimes, an indication of personal wealth.
Year by year, they plough paddy fields and work very hard to assist farmers
effectively. The image of a buffalo tender sitting on a buffalo‟s black back and happily

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fluting in a breezy afternoon has become symbolic of a peaceful and idyllic rural life.
For Vietnamese people, “buffalo” is a symbol of strength, toil and diligence. That‟s the
reason why when mentioning someone who is very muscular and robust, Vietnamese
people usually say “khỏe như trâu”. Besides that, we also have “cực như trâu”, “đen
như trâu”,…The image of buffaloes or “trâu” can also be found is many folksongs,
sayings and proverbs, such as “Con trâu là đầu cơ nghiệp”; “Trâu khỏe chẳng lo cày

trưa”; “Trâu ơi ta bảo trâu này, trâu ăn no cỏ trâu cày với ta,…”.
On the other hand, when talking about strength, English people, with nomadic
culture, usually say “as strong as a horse”. It‟s because that “horse” is much more
familiar, intimate to them. In English culture, horses are such versatile and special
animals. Being very strong, loyal and vigorous, they are used in wars, fighting, in
transportation and entertainment and even in farming work. If a person is really sturdy
and energetic, he should be likened to a horse.
Certainly, that English people use “horses” in comparative idioms does not
mean that “buffaloes” are not strong in their mind. It‟s just because of differences in
culture that often lead to dissimilarities in language.
Similarly, take “as gentle as a lamb” and “hiền như củ khoai” into consideration.
As a matter of fact, lamb is far more familiar to English people than it‟s to Vietnamese
people. Conversely, “khoai” (sweet potatoes) which are cultivated and used as a kind of
food, is one common product of every Vietnamese family.
In addition, the image of “dragon” is very powerful, distinct, vivid and even
sacred in Vietnamese people‟s imagination. The comparison “ăn như rồng cuốn” is
utilized to indicate someone who eats very fast and devours a large amount of food.
On the other hand, for English people, when talking about big appetite, they would
like to mention the horse, as in “to eat like a horse”.
There are many other cases in which English and Vietnamese idioms, despite
having similar meaning, use different images of comparison. Below are some
illustrations:
English comparative idioms

Vietnamse comparative idioms

As dumb as a statue

Câm như hến

As easy as ABC

Dễ như trở bàn tay

As easy as pie

Dễ như trở bàn tay

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