Contrasting English Idioms Containing Co

HCMC University of Pedagogy
Department of English
CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS
Contrasting English idioms containing comparative elements
and Vietnamese equivalence.
Lecturer: Huỳnh Công Minh Hùng
Student: Lê Phước Thịnh
Student ID No. K38.701.125
HCMC, 22/05/2015
Abstract
English has long been a compulsory subject in Vietnamese education. But taking
advantage of many aspects of this language and apply it in learning and teaching is not as
easy as it may seem. This work is to explore idioms containing comparative elements so
that teachers and students may have a nearer approach to this aspect of linguistics and
make good use of idioms in future language learning and language teaching.
I’d like to say thank you very much to Mr. Huynh Cong Minh
Hung for having helped me a lot to complete this work. I’ve learnt a
whole lot from you. Best wishes to you and your family.
Table of Contents
Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 2
Table of Contents........................................................................................................ 4
Chapter 1 Idioms ........................................................................................................ 6
1.1 Definition .......................................................................................................... 6
1.2 Idiom meanings ................................................................................................. 8
1.3 What is missing in research on idioms? .......................................................... 10
1.4 Idiom translation ............................................................................................. 11
Chapter 2 Methodology ............................................................................................ 14
Chapter 3 Idioms Contrastive Analysis .................................................................... 15
Chapter 4 Conclusions & Discussion ....................................................................... 57
Reference .................................................................................................................. 58
Appendix .................................................................................................................. 61
List of Tables
Table 3.1 As black as coal..................................................................................... 15
Table 3.2 As bright as a new penny ...................................................................... 19
Table 3.3 As clean as a new pin ............................................................................ 22
Table 3.4 As clear as crystal ................................................................................. 26
Table 3.5 As cold as ice ........................................................................................ 28
Table 3.6 As cheerful as the birds ......................................................................... 31
Table 3.7 As easy as ABC .................................................................................... 33
Table 3.8 As dry as dust ........................................................................................ 35
Table 3.9 As dumb as a statue ............................................................................... 37
Table 3.10 As plentiful as ants .............................................................................. 39
Table 3.11 As fast as a deer .................................................................................. 42
Table 3.12 As light as air ...................................................................................... 48
Table 3.13 As hard as iron .................................................................................... 50
Table 3.14 Hungry as a bear ................................................................................. 52
Table 3.15 As pretty as a picture ........................................................................... 54

Chapter 1 Idioms
1.1 Definition
To define what is idiom is not easy. And we need to define it as clearly and
comprehensively as possible. Various definitions are given in various materials,
ranging from grammar books and dictionaries to dictionaries of idioms. Several
examples of all these were studied intensively and if one definition should be
chosen for all, then it is convenient to state that “two central features identify an
idiom. The meaning of the idiomatic expression cannot be deduced by examining
the meanings of the constituent lexemes. And the expression is fixed, both
grammatically […] and lexically” (Crystal, 1995, p. 163). Although at least one of
the features or, at best, both of them will be mentioned in any material discussing
idioms, and these features should not be looked down on. According to Oxford
Advanced Learner‟s dictionary, idiom is “a group of words whose meaning is
different from the meanings of the individual words.” Idioms are treated as figures
of speech, which are defined in the Collins English Dictionary (2006) as: “an
expression such as a simile, in which words do not have their literal meaning,” but
are categorized as multi-word expressions that act in the text as units. Longman
Idioms Dictionary (1998) defines an idiom as: “a sequence of words which has a
different meaning as a group from the meaning it would have if you understand
each word separately.” The Free Dictionary website also gives the meaning of
idiom as “A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to
itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its
elements, as in keep tabs on.” Irujo (1986) defines an idiom as a conventionalized
expression whose meaning cannot be determined from the meaning of its parts. One
clear, specific, and systematic definition is Fernando‟s (1996, p. 38) definition that
“conventionalized multi-word expressions are often, but not always non-literal.”
Lennon (1998) asserts that idioms are the colorful side of language used while we
are communicating our thoughts and feelings. They are used to make language
much livelier and richer. Accordingly, idioms should not be broken up into smaller
parts because they are sometimes referred to as a fixed expression. Meanwhile,
Baker (1992) considers idioms and fixed expression as two different categories
under the multi-word units; she refers to them as “frozen patterns of language which
allow little or no variation in form, and in the case of idioms, often carry meanings
which cannot be deduced from their individual components.” Also she adds some
constraints on idiom usage, which include the inability to change word order or
structure and the inability to delete, substitute or add words. On the other hand,
Carter (1998) classifies idioms as a type of fixed expression that include proverbs,
stock phrases, catch phrases, allusions, idiomatic similes and discoursal expressions.
Webster‟s New World Dictionary of the American English (1988) defines idiom as:
1) the language proper or peculiar to a people or to a district, community or class;
the syntactical, grammatical or structural form peculiar to a language; 2) an
expression established in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in
grammatical construction or in having a meaning that cannot be derived as a whole
from the conjoined meanings of its elements; 3) style or form of artistic expression
(as in painting, writing, composing) that is characteristic especially of an individual,
a period or movement, or a medium or instrument.
We may conclude from the definitions that an idiom is an expression whose
meaning is not compositional, and does not follow from the meaning of the
individual words which make up of it. It is “an accepted phrase, construction, or
expression contrary to the usual patterns of the language or having a meaning
different from the language or having a meaning different from the literal.”
(Webster‟s New World Dictionary of the American language, 2nd college edition,
1972)
In my own way of understanding, idiom is a group of words, each word has a
different meaning, but when being together they produce a new meaning which is
maybe the same as or maybe totally different from the words themselves. And it can
produce a literal meaning or figurative meaning. For example, the idiom bite off
more than you can chew can be understood literally or figuratively depends on the
context. Literally, it means that don‟t eat much more than you can so that you won‟t
have to vomit or feel uncomfortable. Figuratively, it means do not take on such a
responsibility or a load of work that is out of your ability to complete. Another
example is He'd run a mile if she asked him to marry her. Most people, especially
those who are not native speakers will understand this sentence literally that the
man will run away to hide or to escape from the woman if she asked him to marry
her. But run a mile here also means he‟s very frightened of marrying her or he‟ll
avoid her or he‟ll avoid answering her question, figuratively. If one day you come
to a mobile shop with your friend, you notice that beautiful smartphone, you tell
your friend that you want that smartphone then he or she says “It will cost you an
arm and a leg”, if you haven‟t heard of this expression before, you won‟t understand
it until your friend explain that he or she means that the smartphone will cost you a
fortune or a lot of money. So the meaning of an arm and a leg is totally different
from its own meaning of each word and this is a figurative idiom.
According to Fromkin and Rodman, idioms are “fixed phrases, consisting of
more than one word, with meanings that cannot be inferred from the meanings of
the individual words” (1988, p. 236). Weinreich (1969, p. 42) defines an idiom as a
phraseological unit with „at least two polysemous constituents‟, and refers to the
„common understanding‟ that the „meaning cannot be derived from the meanings of
its elements‟. An idiom is “a phrase which has a distinct meaning […] which cannot
be explained from the separate meanings of the different words in the phrase” (Platt
et al, 1984, p. 107). As a whole, an idiom “is a group of words whose meaning
cannot be explained in terms of the habitual meanings of the words that make up the
piece of language (Todd, 1987, p. 87). Todd goes further to put idioms into
categories as follows: alternative comparisons (e.g.: dead as a dodo, good as gold),
noun phrases (e.g.: a blind alley: route that leads nowhere, a red letter day: a day
that will never be forgotten), prepositional phrases (e.g.: by hook or by crook: by
whatever methods prove necessary), verb + noun (e.g.: kick the bucket: die), verb +
prepositional phrase (e.g.: be in the doghouse: be in disgrace) and verb + adverb
(e.g.: put down: kill) (Todd, 1987, pp. 86-87). For the purposes of the study of this
subject, „idiom‟ is used to refer to a figurative expression of at least three words,
whose meaning is literal or non-literal and therefore may be strange to those who
hear it for the first time, although some idioms may be easy to be understood to
certain native speakers. Some idioms originates from culture, some from things or
events that happen in daily lives, others are from tales or stories. Levorato (1993, p.
126) adds that the reason why idioms are so intriguing is that they engage
imagination, can transform abstract meanings into more concrete ones and enrich
the meaning of simple concepts. Idiomatic expressions are not a restricted part of
the language of popular culture but they exist in every area of human
communication. All idioms naturally indicate idiomaticity but all word
combinations that show idiomaticity are not idioms.
In some senses, idioms are the reflection of the environment, life, historical
culture, etc. of the native speakers and are closely associated with their innermost
spirit and feelings. They are commonly used in all types of language, informal and
formal, spoken and written.
1.2 Idiom meanings

The relation between an idiom‟s form and its meaning may be more or less
direct. It may be a one-to-one relation in that each word contributes independently
to the figurative interpretation. These idioms are typically known as „normally
decomposable‟ idioms (Gibbs & Nayak, 1989; Nunberg, 1978). It may be an all-to-
one relation with the (literal) meaning of the whole phrase being semantically
related to the figurative interpretation (e.g. bury the hatchet, push the panic button).
These idioms are typically known as „abnormally decomposable‟ idioms. Finally,
the relation may be none-to-one in that the constituent words neither individually
nor as a whole appear to be in any semantic relation to the idiomatic meaning (e.g.
chew the fat, break a leg). These idioms are referred to as „non-decomposable‟. The
relation may also be more or less transparent with the constituent words
contributing to idiom meaning rather literally (e.g. „miss‟ in miss the boat),
metaphorically (e.g. „blow‟ in blow one‟s stack), hyperbolically (e.g. eat one‟s heart
out) or not contributing at all to deriving idiom meaning (e.g. kick the bucket, chew
the fat, shoot the breeze). Idioms whose constituent parts contribute (normally or
abnormally, literally or figuratively) to the overall idiomatic interpretation have
been characterised as decomposable/compositional or analysable. Idioms whose
constituent parts do not contribute to the overall idiomatic interpretation have been
typically characterised as non-decomposable/non-compositional or un-analysable.
Different typologies have been proposed in an attempt to classify idiomatic
expressions (Cacciari & Glucksberg, 1991; Nunberg et al, 1994). I take the
following notions to be important in our understanding of idioms although my
definitions of them vary (slightly) from those found in the literature.
Conventionality: The relation between a certain string of words and a certain
semantic representation. There is always an element of arbitrariness as to why a
certain linguistic label is used to express a certain conceptual representation. There
is some arbitrariness for instance as to why something costs “an arm and a leg” in
English and not “an eye of your face” or “an eye of your head” as it does in Spanish
and Italian (respectively).
Analysability: The degree to which the constituent concepts encoded by the
idiom string can be used to access assumptions in memory which will contribute to
the derivation of the intended interpretation.
Transparency: The relative ease with which these assumptions are accessed
and implications derived.
The idea that idioms vary in their degree of compositionality (analysability)
has led to a wave of experimental research, with the following sort of results.
People seem to have strong intuitions enabling them to judge an idiom as being
decomposable or non-decomposable (Gibbs & Nayak, 1989). Also, since for
decomposable idioms (e.g. pull strings, spill the beans, pop the question, miss the
boat), but not for non-decomposable idioms (e.g. kick the bucket, chew the fat,
shoot the breeze), people can easily identify how each part of the idiom combines in
the derivation of the figurative interpretation, decomposable idioms are more
flexible (syntactically, semantically and lexically) than non-decomposable ones
(Gibbs & Nayak, 1989; Gibbs et al, 1989a,b). Analysable idioms are also easier for
children to acquire (Cacciari & Levorato, 1989, 1999; Gibbs, 1991) and faster for
adults to process (Gibbs et al, 1989a). These findings are similar to the idea that the
relation between an idiom‟s form and meaning is not completely arbitrary, and
different with the standard belief that idioms are long words with the internal
semantics of their constituents playing no role during processing.
1.3 What is missing in research on idioms?

Compositionality
Early work in generative linguistics generally assumed that idioms were non
compositional (Chomsky, 1965; Fraser, 1970). In this view, which relied heavily on
syntactic arguments, meaning was assigned to the entire idiom (e.g., spill the beans)
but not to its individual words (e.g., spill). In recent years, this view has been
challenged by studies that have shown that idioms are in fact decompositional, that
is, that the individual words of idioms contribute to the overall meaning (Cacciari &
Glucksberg, 1991; Gibbs, 1992; Gibbs & Nayak, 1991; Gibbs, Nayak, & Cutting,
1989; Wasow, Sag, & Nunberg, 1983). The semantic content of an idiom includes
its overall meaning as well as the meanings contributed by each word. When an
idiom is processed, both its figurative meaning (of the entire idiom) and its literal
meaning (of each individual word) are activated. Thus, when a person hears an
idiom such as spill the beans, not only is the figurative meaning of the entire idiom
accessed, but the literal meanings of its subparts, such as spill and beans, are
activated.
Gibbs (1989) argues for compositionality. He points out that some idioms,
such as kick the bucket, do not semantically decompose as well as others, such as
spill the beans. Gibbs also challenges the view that figurative and literal meaning
are distinct or that the former is derived from the latter. Moreover, he does not agree
with the idea that the literal and figurative meanings of each word in an idiom must
be activated every time an idiom is encountered. Gibbs allows for the possibility
that people may access only figurative meanings of words or of particular word
combinations that make up an idiom. In addition, Gibbs cites evidence to support
the idea that metaphorical thought motivates the understanding of idioms. In this
view, metaphors such as anger is heat are believed to underlie how people
experience and think about anger. A number of idiomatic expressions reflect this
metaphor, such as to blow one's stack or to explode with rage. The fact that idioms
have evolved with these particular words (blow, explode, burn) and that they are
used to express anger is not seen by Gibbs or most cognitive linguists to be
arbitrary; it is believed to be motivated by conceptual experience (Lakoff, 1987).
Although his discussion is compelling and consonant with cognitive linguistic
theory, Gibbs could have been more explicit about how metaphorical mapping
works and about how it might be empirically tested.
Flexibility
In research on idioms, syntactic flexibility goes hand in hand with
compositionality. It is generally believed that the more semantically easy to
understand the idiom, the more likely it is to vary syntactically. Certain idioms,
such as spill the beans, are more semantically easy to understand than others, such
as kick the bucket. For instance, the literal meaning of spill shares many semantic
properties with the figurative meaning of spill in spill the beans, whereas the literal
meaning of kick is quite different from kick in kick the bucket. Therefore, spill the
beans can be changed into passive form (the beans were spilled), whereas kick the
bucket cannot (the bucket was kicked). This line of thinking was introduced in the
paper which is important and having a strong influence on later developments by
Wasow, Sag, and Nunberg (1983), who argued against the traditional generative
linguistic assumption that idiom constituents do not behave any differently from
nonidiomatic constituents with respect to syntactic rules. They found that in many
cases subparts of idioms allow syntactic manipulation such as movement or
modification. In recent years, syntactic flexibility and the extent to which idioms
differ from nonidiomatic expressions have become important areas of investigation.
Many idioms in French are noncompositional, most of the syntactic alternations
demonstrated by French idioms can be explained by a noncompositional analysis,
namely, one that relies on lexicalized tree adjoining grammar, a type of unification-
based grammar.
The lexicon
Early linguistic and psycholinguistic research generally assumed that humans
have a mental lexicon, which contains words and information about words. This
view is still assumed by most linguistic and psycholinguistic models. Idioms, which
are sometimes considered words and in other times considered phrases, have always
presented problems for approaches that assume a mental lexicon. Most early
research on idioms considered idioms as long words, based on the observation that
many idioms were not affected by certain syntactic transformations, such as the
process of putting a verb into the passive form.
1.4 Idiom translation

As idioms are important part of languages, understanding of a language
requires understanding of its idioms and the tactics for idiom translation.
Translating work is not easy, especially the translating of idioms because idioms are
the most difficult part to present or express in the right way. In general, there are
three possible ways of translating idioms, to name only a few: (1) to translate the
idiom literally; (2) to present the sense of the idiom; or (3) to use an equivalent
idiom in the target language.
Literal translation is usually used in the complete representation of the
original when the original has almost the same meaning with the target language in
the form of vocabulary, grammatical structure and rhetorical device, which means
literal translation is a way by which the rhetoric, national and regional
characteristics are kept in the target language. The aim of literal translation is to
preserve the national flavor of the source language idioms, while not disobeying the
linguistic principles of the target language. Translators should make every effort to
keep the figurative image, rhetorical devices and the national characteristics of the
original idioms. In this way, the meaning and form of the source language are
unchanged. Sometimes, equivalent translation can be found, but mostly only similar
ones.
Language universal and cultural similarities are two factors in the objective
world which enable cross-cultural communications. People of different languages
may share the same feelings, emotions and ways of thinking, because people of
different nations experience the same things since they live in a similarly unique
environment. Misunderstanding may not be aroused in translating some source
language text literally into the target language, when the translated text have the
same literal meaning or figurative meaning and implicated meaning with the source
language text. Therefore, literal translation method can be used.
In terms of idiom translation, some idioms could be translated literally.
Literal translation can keep the original form and images of English idioms without
causing confusion in meaning. Many English idioms can be translated in a literal
way, for instance: “As pretty as a picture.” is translated literally into “đẹp như tranh
[vẽ]”; “As clear as daylight” is literally translated into “rõ như ban ngày”, “new one
in, old one out” is literally translated into “Có mới nới cũ”, “easy come easy go”
means “dễ được dễ mất”, “don‟t judge a man by his clothes” is literally translated
into “Đừng đánh giá con người qua vẻ bề ngoài”, “out of sight, out of mind”
literally means “xa mặt cách lòng”, or “slow but sure” which literally means “chậm
mà chắc”. What‟s more, literal translation transfers the original cultural information
effectively and conveys the implicated meaning without misunderstandings aroused
and narrows the gaps between two languages, and at the same time, interests in
reading can be greatly enhanced. For instance, “A rolling stone gathers no moss” is
translated literally into “an cư lạc nghiệp”, it implies that a person who is constantly
moving and changing from one place or occupation to another will never gain a
steady, established position, “when in Rome, do as the Romans” is literally
translated into “nhập gia tùy tục”, or “when the cat is away, the mice will play”
which means “Vắng chủ nhà gà mọc đuôi tôm”.
Overall, the study of idioms is very broad, from its definition to its aspects.
In this work, I only present very basic knowledge of idioms and some of its
features.
Chapter 2 Methodology
In English as well as Vietnamese, we have lots of idioms which are used to
compare and contrast things, events and phenomenon. In this research into idioms, I
will give you detail analysis of some pairs of comparative idioms in English and its
equivalent in Vietnamese. To do this, I have to follow some steps:
Data collecting: Having a rich and reliable source of information is very
important. To do this, I have to search for idioms, as well as its linguistic and
cultural origins. Gather, categorise, do some reading and choose some typical or
most used idioms that contain comparative elements. I also found lots of material
for reference.
Idioms selecting: Among lots of idioms in English and its equivalence in
Vietnamese that I have gather, I choose only about 15 pairs to further discuss in
detail.
Processing: In this work, I present pairs of idioms in English and Vietnamese
equivalence, then I compare them according to their meaning, syntactical feature,
semantic feature and culture origins.
Chapter 3 Idioms Contrastive Analysis
In this chapter, we will discuss in details some pairs of idioms in English and its
equivalence in Vietnamese.
Table 3.1 As black as coal

A/ Description:
No Feature English Vietnamese
1 Idiom As black as coal Đen như mực

As black as a crow Other versions:
As black as a starless night Đen như than
As black as ink Đen như cột nhà cháy
Đen như cuốc
Đen như quạ
2 Syntactic Types of Idiom: Adj Types of Idiom: Adj

feature Structure: Adj + as + N Structure: Adj + như + N
Adj: black Adj: đen
As…as: simile. như: simile.
A/ an : article N: mực/ than/ cột nhà cháy/
N: coal/ crow/ starless night/ cuốc/ quạ
ink
3 Meanings Based - coal: a hard black - ink (mực) : coloured liquid

on mineral that is found for writing, drawing and
vocabul below the ground printing
ary and burnt to produce
heat
- coal (than): a hard black
mineral that is found below
- crow: a large bird, the ground and burnt to
completely or produce heat
mostly black, with a
rough unpleasant cry
- burned house column (cột
nhà cháy): a house column
- starless night: the that was burned by fire and it
night that has no star got a black color
on the sky
- coot (chim cuốc): a black
- ink: coloured bird with a white forehead and
liquid for writing, beak that lives on or near
drawing and printing water
- crow (con quạ)
Based As black as coal/ a Đen như mực/ than/ cột nhà

on crow/ a starless cháy/ cuốc: rất đen (As black
meaning night/ ink: very as ink/ coal/ burned house
of whole black column/ coot/ crow: very
idiom black)
B/ Comparison:
1 Semantic The meaning of the whole Same as English

feature phrase can be perceived
through the meaning of its
components, and it can be Ink = coal = burned house
replaced by a word or phrase column = coot = crow
that makes the same sense of
comparison.
Coal = a crow = starless night
= ink

Adj: black Adj: đen
A/ an : article N: mực/ than/ cột nhà cháy/
N: coal/ crow/ starless night/ cuốc/ quạ
ink
3 Figurative Simile: Same

- IMAGE=> coal/ a crow/ - IMAGE=> mực/ than/ cột
starless night/ ink nhà cháy/ cuốc (ink/ coal/
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> burned house column/ coot)
black - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
black (đen)
4 Structure As + Adjective + as + (a/the) Adj + như + Noun

+ Noun
5 Culture Coal has been a stock Burned house column: In the

comparison for blackness for old days of Vietnam, people
at least four hundred years - usually use wood to make
Shakespeare uses "coal-black" house columns, especially the
a number of times, and it rich. Houses of the rich have
certainly wasn't a new or lots of columns made of
original comparison then. wood. And when the wood
columns are burnt, they turned
into a totally black color,
Crow is a kind of bird that is which is why people use this
mostly black. Black color of image to compare with the
the feather of crow is black color.
historically symbolic of
mystery, occult, death... but
also symbolic of the Trong dân gian có một câu đố
unknown, that place beyond loài vật như sau:
the veil. Black is a symbol of Đen như quạ, vàng như hoa
the strangeness that creeps
along behind the sun-shiny Trắng như ngà, mồm như sư
realm of what is "known". It's tử
a slippery place to dwell. Không biết một chữ, miệng
Only the bravest of heart can nói ba hoa
go into the darkest black night
of the soul. It requires Buồn nằm nhà, vui la cà hàng
cunning, and a willingness to xóm
expect the unexpected. Crows Trả lời là “con chó”
reflect that kind of sentiment.
Starless night is the night that

Khẳng định đầu con quạ nào
has no stars, having no stars cũng đen. Đen ở đây là ý xấu
visible. Therefore, the sky is xa. Thành ngữ ví von cùng
extremely dark. So the image một giuộc, cùng bản chất xấu
of it is used to compare with xa như nhau cả. Còn có câu:
the black color. Giống quạ đen đầu. Đen như
quạ.
Ink is widely used in everyday Chuyện kể:
life. In the old days, it is used Xưa, quạ và công là đôi bạn
to write. Now, black ink is thân. Màu lông của chúng đều
mostly used in printers and xám xịt như rúc ở bùn lên.
photocopiers. And using ink Một hôm, quạ bảo công:
to compare with black color is - Đằng kia có người thợ vẽ, ta
very common. ăn trộm một ít về sửa lại bộ
cánh cho đẹp.
Rồi hai con rủ nhau ăn trộm
được thỏi mực tàu, một gói
thuốc xanh và gói kim nhũ.
Quạ đem công ra vẽ. Nó dùng
màu xanh tô vào cổ, vào mình
cho công. Tô đến đâu rắc kim
nhũ đến đấy. Đến cái đuôi,
công xòe ra cho quạ vẽ nhưng
vì màu xanh đã cạn nên chỉ vẽ
được vành tròn rồi rắc nhũ
lên.
Đến lượt công vẽ cho quạ thì
bỗng có tiếng lợn kêu eng éc
ở đằng xa. Quạ chắc mẩm sẽ
được bộ lòng lợn. Càng nghĩ
càng thèm, nó không tự chủ
được nữa bèn giục công rối
rít.
- Thôi chị vẽ cho tôi nhanh
lên, kẻo lỡ hết bữa cỗ ngon.
Công vẫn đủng đỉnh:
- Cô cứ từ từ, phải có bộ cánh
đẹp thì đi dự tiệc mới ra dáng
chứ.
Tiếng lợn kêu càng dồn dập,
quạ càng sốt ruột, nó giục:
- Chị công ơi, chị đổ cả màu
đen lên mình tôi cho mau đi!
Công chưa kịp nghe ra thì quạ
liền nhảy vào chậu thuốc vẽ
rồi cứ thế chúi đầu xuống
chậu thuốc mực tàu. Công bực
quá, cầm chậu thuốc đổ cả lên
đầu đó.
Thành thử bây giờ chả con
quạ nào không đen đầu (1)
Tham lam, háu ăn và hấp tấp
đến như quạ thì chẳng còn coi
nghệ thuật là gì. Những người
cùng hội cùng thuyền thì
giống nhau, vì thế, phải chọn
bạn mà chơi, kẻo người đời
cho rằng “ngưu tầm ngưu, mã
tầm mã”, bởi:
“Quạ nào mà đầu chẳng đen
Quạ đâu lại dám mon men với
cò” (2)
(1)
Phỏng theo truyện “Con
công và con quạ”, Truyện cổ
nước Nam, Nguyễn Văn
Ngọc, NXB Văn học, 2003.
(2)
Ca dao
Câu chuyện này được trích
trong quyển Đi tìm điển tích
thành ngữ của tác giả Tiêu Hà
Minh.
Table 3.2 As bright as a new penny

A/ Description:
1 Idiom as bright as a new penny Sáng như gương

as bright as daylight Other versions:
as bright as the light Sáng như trăng rằm
as bright as silver

Adj: bright Adj: sáng
A/ the : article N: gương/ trăng rằm
N: new penny/ daylight/ light/
silver
3 Meanings Based - new penny: a new - gương: mirror: a piece of

on coin that have just special flat glass that reflects
vocabul been brought into images, so that you can see
ary use yourself when you look in it
- daylight: the light - trăng rằm: full moon: the

that comes from the moon when it appears as a full
sun during the day circle; a time when this
happens
- light: the energy

from the sun, a
lamp, etc. that
makes it possible to
see things
- silver: a chemical
element. Silver is a
greyish-white
precious metal used
for making coins,
jewellery, decorative
objects, etc.
Based As bright as a new Sáng như gương/ trăng rằm:

on penny/ daylight/ rất sáng (As bright as mirror/
meaning light/ silver: very a full moon)
of whole bright, shiny
idiom
B/ Comparison:

components, and it can be
replaced by a word or phrase
comparison.
new penny = daylight = light
= silver

Adj: bright Adj: sáng
A/ the: article N: gương/ trăng rằm
N: a new penny/ daylight/
light/ silver

- IMAGE=> a new penny/ - IMAGE=> gương/ trăng rằm
daylight/ light/ silver (mirror/ full moon)
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
bright bright (sáng)

+ Noun
5 Culture New penny is a new coin Mirror is a piece of special

which has just been brought flat glass that reflects images,
into use so it‟s still bright and so that you can see yourself
shining. when you look in it. Mirror
hides nothing because it
shows the true you are. In
Daylight or day is the time Vietnamese, what is not
everything is lit so it is easy to hidden but shown clearly and
see everything. truly is called “bright” (sáng),
so that‟s why people use this
image to compare.
One example of this is:
Trung thu trăng sáng như
gương,
Bác Hồ ngắm cảnh nhớ
thương nhi đồng
(The moon is as bright as a
mirror during Mid-Autumn
festival, Uncle Ho sight-
seeing and miss children)
Full moon is the moon when

it appears as a full circle; a
time when this happens. In
Vietnam, on some certain
days, you can see that full
moon is very bright and
shining. In the old days of
Vietnam, we used to be very
poor, and didn‟t have
electricity city. People use oil
lamp. But on full moon days,
the moon is a wonderful
source of light. Eventually,
people use this image in
comparison and it is still used
today.
Table 3.3 As clean as a new pin

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As clean as a new pin Sạch như chùi

As clean as a whistle

feature Structure: Adj + as + N Structure: Adj + như + V
Adj: clean Adj: sạch
a: article V: chùi
N: new pin/ whistle
3 Meanings Based - pin: a short thin - chùi: the act or process of

on piece of stiff wire cleaning something
vocabul with a sharp point at
ary one end and a round
head at the other,
used especially for
fastening together
pieces of cloth when
sewing
- whistle: a small
metal or plastic tube
that you blow to
make a loud high
sound, used to
attract attention or as
a signal
Based As clean as a new Sạch như chùi: rất sạch

on pin/ a whistle: very
meaning clean
of whole
idiom
B/ Comparison:
1 Semantic The meaning of the whole The meaning of the whole

feature phrase can be perceived phrase can be perceived
through the meaning of its through the meaning of its
components, and it can be components.
comparison.
new pin = whistle

feature Structure: Adj + as + N Structure: Adj + như + V
Adj: clean Adj: sạch
A/ the: article V: chùi
N: new pin/ whistle
- IMAGE=> a new pin/ - IMAGE=> chùi (cleaning)
whistle - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> clean (sạch)
clean

+ Noun
5 Culture As clean as a whistle

One possibility is that the old
simile describes the whistling
sound of a sword as it swishes
through the air to decapitate
someone, and an early 19th
century quotation does
suggest this connection: 'A
first rate shot.(his) head taken
off as clean as a whistle.' The
expression is proverbial, at
least since the 18th century,
when Robert Burns used a
variation on it. More likely
the basic idea suggests the
clear, pure sound a whistle
makes, or the slippery smooth
surface of a willow stick
debarked to make a whistle.
But there is also a chance that
the phrase may have
originally been 'as clean as a
whittle,' referring to a piece of
smooth wood after it is
whittled.'" (From the
"Encyclopedia of Word and
Phrase Origins" by Robert
Hendrickson (Facts on File,
New York, 1997.)
Another source states:
"Robert Burns, in his poem,
'Earnest Cry,' used 'toom'
('empty') rather than 'clean' -
'Paint Scotland greetan owre
her thrissle; Her mutchkin
stoup as toom's a whissle' -
and other writers have had the
whistle clear, dry, pure or
other adjective. The basic
intent, however, is to indicate
that, for a sweet, pure sound
from a whistle or reed, the
tube must be clean and dry."
(From "Heavens to Betsy &
Other Curious Sayings" by
Charles Earle Funk, Harper &
Row, New York, 1955.)
And a third: "As every old-
timer can tell you, a good
whistle made from a reed or a
piece of wood emits a clear
tone - but it is easily damaged.
Even small particles of debris,
or a few drops of moisture
will change the sound of a
handmade instrument. In
order to emit the pure notes
intended by its maker, a
whistle has to be absolutely
clean. Anything or anyone as
clean as a brand-new whistle
or as clear as its sound is
bound to be good. All of
which means that an
organization or person called
as 'clean as a whistle' has been
judged to be guiltless or
flawless." (From "Why You
Say It" by Webb Garrison,
Rutledge Hill Press,
Nashville, Tenn., 1992.)
Table 3.4 As clear as crystal

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As clear as crystal Rõ như ban ngày

As clear as daylight
As clear as day

Adj: clear Adj: rõ
N: crystal/ daylight/ day N: ban ngày
3 Meanings Based - crystal: a clear - ban ngày: khoảng thời gian

on mineral, such as có ánh sáng mặt trời chiếu
vocabul quartz, used in (trái nghĩa với “ban đêm”);
ary making jewellery the time between when it
and decorative becomes light in the morning
objects and before it becomes dark in
the evening (opposite of
night)
- daylight: the light
that comes from the
sun during the day
- day: the time

between when it
becomes light in the
morning and before
it becomes dark in
the evening
(opposite of night)
Based As clear as crystal/ Rõ như ban ngày: rất rõ,

on daylight/ day: very không có gì che dấu được;
meaning clear, cannot be everything is clear, nothing is
of whole hidden hidden in broad daylight
idiom
B/ Comparison:

components, and it can be components.
comparison.
Crystal = daylight = day

feature +Structure: Adj + as + N +Structure: Adj + như + N
Adj: clear Adj: rõ
N: crystal/ daylight/ day N: ban ngày

-IMAGE=> crystal/ daylight/ -IMAGE=> ban ngày (day)
day - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> it is clear and you can see
so clear that you can see everything clearly during the
through it, nothing is hidden day

+ Noun
5 Culture Things are shown clearly in Ở đời, đôi khi những việc rõ
broad daylight, that‟s why như ban ngày, nhưng vẫn có
people use this image to show những người không thấy,
clearness or obviousness, không muốn thấy, hoặc giả vờ
especially things or events không thấy. Như chiến tranh
that can be recognized và hoà bình ở Việt Nam là
because it‟s obvious. việc rõ như ban ngày: Giặc
Mỹ là kẻ xâm lược; Việt Nam
là bị xâm lược, phải chiến đấu
đến cùng để tự vệ; Mỹ phải
chấm dứt chiến tranh xâm
lược thì hoà bình sẽ trở lại
ngay ở Việt Nam.
(Rõ như ban ngày, 18-2-1996)
Table 3.5 As cold as ice

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As cold as ice Lạnh như tiền

As cold as charity Lạnh như đồng
2 Syntactic +Types of Idiom: Adj Types of Idiom: Adj

feature +Structure: Adj + as + N Structure: Adj + như + N
Adj: cold Adj: lạnh
N: ice/ charity N: đồng/ tiền
3 Meanings Based - ice: water that has - đồng: copper, a chemical

on frozen and become element. Copper is a soft
vocabul solid reddish-brown metal used for
ary making electric wires, pipes
and coins
- charity: giving
money, food, help,
etc. to people who - tiền: money; what you earn
are in need; kindness by working or selling things,
and sympathy and use to buy things
towards other
people, especially
when you are
judging them
Based As cold as ice/ Lạnh như đồng, lạnh như tiền:

on charity: very cold; very cold; showing no
meaning sympathy(As cold as copper/
of whole money)
idiom Cold as charity an
ironical phrase
implying the
coldness of much
so-called charity,
which should
naturally be warm.
Cold as charity a
proverbial phrase
expressing ironically
great coldness or
indifference.
B/ Comparison:

components. components.
But it can be replaced by a
word or phrase that makes the
same sense of comparison.

Adj: cold Adj: lạnh
N: ice/ charity N: đồng/ tiền

- IMAGE=> ice/ charity - IMAGE=> đồng/ tiền
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> (copper/ money)
so cold - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
so cold (rất lạnh)

+ Noun
5 Culture Cold as charity: charity is Nguyễn Bính used to have a

referred to as cold since it saying:
tends to be given to the poor Mười năm lòng lạnh như tiền,
and disadvantaged by Tim đi hết máu, cái duyên
organisations rather than by không về.
individual people and so lack
human feeling or warmth.
Or in Vietnamese we have a
riddle:
As cold as charity is widely
used in literature, for Ao tròn vành vạnh
example: Nước lạnh như tiền
Con gái như tiên
Now the fowl would be dried Trần mình xuống lội
to a cinder, the potatoes moist
and sodden, the apples cold (Bánh trôi)
as charity!
"Two Little Travellers" As cold as money is widely
by Frances Browne Arthur used in Vietnamese to show
how cold something is;
especially when one wants to
It was Christmas Day, and prefer to the state of having
cold as charity. no emotion. (His face was as
"Memoirs of an American cold ad money when he heard
Prima Donna" by Clara that he had won the second
Louise Kellogg prize)
It was dusk when we reached

London, and as cold as
charity.
"Johnny Ludlow. First Series"
by Mrs. Henry Wood
Table 3.6 As cheerful as the birds

A/ Description:
1 Idiom as cheerful as the birds Vui như tết

Vui như trẩy hội

feature Structure: Adj + as + N Structure: Adj + như + N/V
Adj: cheerful Adj: vui
N: the birds N: tết
V: trẩy hội
3 Meanings Based - bird: a creature that - Tết (New Year celebration):

on is covered with the time at the beginning of a
vocabul feathers and has two new year when everyone
ary wings and two legs doesn‟t have to go to work,
stay home and celebrate
parties with family, come to
visit their old friends and
relatives, participating in
many festivals
- trẩy hội: participating in

festivals
Based As cheerful as the Vui như tết/ trẩy hội: rất vui,
on birds: very happy, rất mừng (As cheerful as New
meaning very cheerful. Year celebration/ as cheerful
of whole as when you are participating
idiom in a festival)
B/ Comparison:

through the meaning of the
image that is used for
comparison.

Adj: cheerful Adj: vui
the: article N: tết
N: birds V: trẩy hội

- IMAGE=> the birds - IMAGE=> tết/ trẩy hội
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> (New Year celebration/
cheerful and happy because participating in a festival)
there are many birds - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
cheerful and happy

+ Noun
5 Culture (Tết) New Year celebration of

Vietnam is the most important
celebration in Vietnamese
culture. It takes place from
the first day of the first month
of the Vietnamese calendar
(around late January or early
February) until at least the
third day. But Vietnamese is
usually off work for one week
during the holiday, and two
weeks for students. Many
customs are practiced during
Tết, such as visiting old
friends and relatives, ancestor
worship, wishing New Year's
greetings, giving lucky money
to children and elderly people,
opening a shop and taking
part in many festival and
activities. It is also an
occasion for pilgrims and
family reunions, those who
live far away from home will
return to their hometown to
spend the holiday with their
family. To Vietnamese
people, Tet is the happiest
time of the year, the time
when everyone can relax,
don‟t have to work and worry
about anything.
Throughout the country, there

are also many festivals that
are held. Such as Hue festival
which attracts lots of tourists
or the Hung King‟s Temple
festival which is a public
holiday held every year. A
festival usually has lots of
games, activities and is
always crowded with people
from all walks of life and all
regions in the country. People
enjoy the activities together
regardless of who they are and
where they come from. There
is no distance. And that‟s why
festivals are always so happy,
fun, exciting and enjoyable.
Table 3.7 As easy as ABC

A/ Description:

1 Idiom As easy as ABC Dễ như bỡn
As easy as pie Dễ như chơi
As easy as falling off a log Dễ như trở bàn tay
As easy as a child‟s play

feature Structure: Adj + as + N/V Structure: Adj + như + N/ V
phrase/ N phrase phrase/ V
Adj: easy Adj: dễ
N: ABC, pie N: bỡn
V phrase: falling off a log V phrase: trở bàn tay
N phrase: a child‟s play V: chơi
3 Meanings Based - ABC: the very first - bỡn: trêu chọc, vui đùa; to
on letters in the tease, to make fun of
vocabul alphabet
ary
- trở bàn tay: flipping your
- pie: fruit baked in a hand
dish with pastry on
the bottom, sides
and top - chơi: play
Based As easy as ABC/ Dễ như bỡn/ trở bàn tay: rất

on pie: very easy dễ (As easy as flipping your
meaning hand)
of whole
idiom
B/ Comparison:

comparison.
ABC = pie

Adj: easy Structure: Adj + như + N/ V
As…as: simile. phrase
N: ABC, pie Adj: dễ

như: simile.
N: bỡn
V phrase: trở bàn tay

- IMAGE=> ABC/ pie/ falling - IMAGE=> bỡn/ trở bàn tay
off a log/ a child‟s play (flipping your hand)
very easy very easy (rất dễ)

+ Noun
5 Culture
Table 3.8 As dry as dust

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As dry as dust Khô như ngói

Adj: dry Adj: khô
N: dust N: ngói
3 Meanings Based - dust: a fine powder - ngói: tile: a piece of
on that consists of very baked clay that is used in
vocabul small pieces of sand, rows for covering roofs;
ary earth, etc.; the fine
powder of dirt that
forms in buildings,
on furniture, floors,
etc.
Based As dry as dust: very Khô như ngói (As dry as tile:
on dry; something very a boring, literal person or an
meaning boring or dull unexciting speech)
of whole
idiom
B/ Comparison:

components.

Adj: dry Adj: khô
N: dust N: ngói

- IMAGE=> dust - IMAGE=> ngói (tile)
dry dry (khô)

+ Noun
5 Culture This idiom is usually used to A tile is a manufactured piece

of hard-wearing material such
prefer to something hard to as ceramic, stone, metal, or
learn or to do; or someone even glass, generally used for
who is boring. For example: covering roofs, floors, walls,
showers, or other objects such
- She studies some very as tabletops. It has very low
obscure things to do with moisture absorption and
ancient Greek documents – to constant shape which means it
most people a really dry as doesn‟t absorb much water or
moisture. So when people
dust subject.
want to express that
- something or someone so dry,
they say it is “as dry as tile”.
Table 3.9 As dumb as a statue

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As dumb as a statue Câm như hến

As dumb as stone Câm như thóc trầm ba mùa

Adj: dumb Adj: câm
a: article N: hến/ thóc trầm ba mùa
N: statue/ stone
3 Meanings Based - statue: a figure of a - hến: mussel: a

on person or an animal small shellfish that can be
vocabul in stone, metal, etc., eaten, with a black shell in
ary usually the same two parts
size as in real life or
larger
- thóc trầm ba mùa: the paddy
that is not used for three crops
- stone: a small
piece of rock of any
shape; a hard solid
mineral substance
that is found in the
ground, often used
for building
Based As dumb as a statue/ Câm như hến/ thóc trầm ba

on stone: dumb; silent, mùa: Im lặng, không hé nửa
meaning say nothing lời, sự im lặng tuyệt đối (as
of whole dumb as mussel/ as dumb as
idiom the paddy that is not used for
three crops)
B/ Comparison:

comparison.
Statue = stone

Adj: dumb Adj: câm
a: article N: hến/ thóc trầm ba mùa
N: statue/ stone

- IMAGE=> statue/ stone - IMAGE=> hến / thóc trầm
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> ba mùa (mussel/ the paddy
dumb, so silent, so quiet, say that is not used for three
nothing crops)
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
so silent, so quiet, say nothing
(im lặng, câm lặng)
+ Noun
5 Culture Stone is a substance, a kind of

Mussel is a type of sea
material used in building or creature, and is also a type of
for a particular purpose. It sea food. Mussel doesn‟t have
doesn‟t have a mouth, it nevera mouth, so it never says
says anything, we hold it, we anything or make any sound.
use it anyway we want, it is so
Even when people catch it to
silent, dumb silent. make food, it is still silent.
This image is also used to
express someone who is very
Another idiom with “stone” is meek.
“have a heart of stone” which
is used to express that
someone who does not show In Vietnam, paddy which is
others sympathy or pity. not used for three crops is not
able to grow or to be sown
anymore, a forever and
absolute silence.
Besides, there‟s a idiom. “Im
như thóc đổ bồ” (Silent as
paddy stored in the
warehouse.) Which means the
paddy is safe and silent,
stored in warehouse, there
will be no change or disorder.
The paddy is the silent in a
very silent place, the
warehouse.
Table 3.10 As plentiful as ants

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As plentiful as ants Đông như kiến

As plentiful as blackberries

Adj: plentiful Adj: đông
N: ants/ blackberries N: kiến
3 Meanings Based - ant: a small insect - kiến: ant

on that lives in highly
vocabul organized groups.
ary There are many
types of ant.
- blackberries: a
small soft black fruit
that grows on a bush
with thorns in
gardens/yards or in
the countryside. The
bush is also called
a blackberry/brambl
e
Based As plentiful as ants/ Đông như kiến (As crowded

on blackberries: so as ants): so crowded, so many
meaning crowded, so
of whole plentiful, so many
idiom
B/ Comparison:

comparison.
Ants = blackberries

Adj: plentiful Adj: đông
N: ants/ blackberries N: kiến

- IMAGE=> ants = - IMAGE=> kiến (ants)
blackberries - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> many, crowded (nhiều, đông)
plentiful, crowded

+ Noun
5 Culture In Orpheus in Mayfair: And Ant is a kind of very small

Other Stories and Sketches by insect that usually work in
Maurice Baring, there are groups. They work with each
some lines: other to find food and bring
… He was making for the them home, and there are
green plain beyond. The thousands of ants working
ground was dense with together in each ant colony.
caterpillars; they were as We hardly see one or separate
plentiful as ants in an ant‟s ant going around, we usually
nest, and yet they never see them in groups, in
seemed to interfere with each colonies.
other or with him … In Vietnamese, there is also a
saying “Kiến tha lâu đầy tổ”
(Ants work patiently will
Also, in Fateful Journeys by make their nests full of food.)
Gary E. Parker: to show their patience and
… Wagons full of goods hard-working.
clattered across the bridge and This idiom is usually used to
the road beyond it. Soldiers express how somewhere is
and merchants seemed as crowded with people,
plentiful as ants at a picnic. regardless of good or bad
Noise abounded – the creak of ones.
wagon wheels, the clomp of
horses, the yells and shouts of
men and women doing their
business….
Table 3.11 As fast as a deer
A/ Description:
1 Idiom As fast as a deer Nhanh như cắt

As fast as a hare Nhanh như chớp
As fast as light Nhanh như tên
Nhanh như gió

Adj: fast Adj: nhanh
a: article N: cắt/ chớp/ tên/ gió (kestrel/
N: deer/ hare/ light flashing/ arrow/ wind)
3 Meanings Based - deer: an animal - cắt: kestrel: a small bird of

on with long legs, that prey (= a bird that kills other
vocabul eats grass, leaves, creatures for food) of the
ary etc. and can run fast. falcon family, it can fly very
Most fast
male deer have antle
rs (= horns shaped
like branches). - chớp: flash: a sudden bright
There are many light that shines for a moment
types of deer and then disappears
- hare: an animal - [mũi] tên: arrow: a thin stick

like a with a sharp point at one end,
large rabbit with which is shot from a bow
very strong back
legs, that can run
very fast - gió: wind: air that moves
quickly as a result of natural
forces
- light: the energy
from the sun, a
lamp, etc. that
makes it possible to
see things
Based As fast as a deer/ a Nhanh như cắt/ chớp/ tên/ gió:

on hare/ light: very fast rất nhanh (As fast as kestrel/
meaning flashing/ arrow/ wind)
of whole
idiom
B/ Comparison:

components, and it can be Kestrel = flashing = arrow =
replaced by a word or phrase wind
comparison.
Deer = hare = light

Adj: fast Adj: nhanh
a: article N: cắt/ chớp/ tên/ gió (kestrel/
N: deer/ hare/ light flashing/ arrow/ wind)

- IMAGE=> cắt/ chớp/ tên/
- IMAGE=> deer/ hare/ light
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> gió (kestrel/ flashing/ arrow/
very fast wind)
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
very fast (rất nhanh)

+ Noun
5 Culture The lyric of the song Kestrel is a kind of aggressive

Everything At Once bird that has sharp and hard
performed by Lenka has lots feather, can fly fast and
of idioms of comparison: usually has fights with other
As sly as a fox, as strong as an kinds of birds. It flies really
ox fast.
As fast as a hare, as brave as a
bear There is also a story which is
As free as a bird, as neat as a about the kestrel:
word
As quiet as a mouse, as big as Xưa, một con diều và một con
a house chim cắt kết bạn với nhau, rủ
nhau đi kiếm ăn. Lúc đầu, hai
con kiếm được nhiều mồi lắm.
Vì diều thì mắt sắc, trông đâu
Nothing as fast as the speed at cũng rõ, mà cắt thì nhanh lẹ,
which light travels, 300.000 sà xuống cái là phỗng được
km/s, this is proved to be true ngay.
by scientists, until now they Bởi vậy, các loài gà thấy bóng
are still trying to find a faster hai con đâu là lánh trước,
speed than the speed of light. thành ra hai con sau này khó
kiếm được mồi. Cùng đi với
nhau, thấy không có lợi, mới
tự bàn chia nhau mỗi con một
đường.
Diều đi một lúc, thấy đám gà
con, sà xuống bắt ngay được
một chú, lấy làm sướng lắm
tha về, đợi xem cắt bắt được
con gì nữa thì rồi cùng ăn
chung cho vui.
Ngờ đâu, cắt chẳng đi bắt
mồi, lại lộn về không. Cắt
trông thấy diều đứng chờ, lại
có con gà con ở bên, bèn
thoáng một cái lẻn đến cắp
ngay gà mà bay đi. Diều đuổi
theo. Hai con đánh nhau dữ
dội. Diều tuy to và bạo, nhưng
không lại được với cắt, dù nhỏ
nhưng nhanh. Diều đành chịu
mất gà. Từ đó, diều không
làm bạn với cắt nữa.
Giận cắt lắm, muốn trả thù
nên diều đi làm bạn với quạ.
Hai con hợp sức nhau lại đánh
cắt. Diều nói:
- Không đánh nó, có miếng
mồi nào nó cướp hết. Chả lẽ
diều, quạ chúng ta to khỏe thế
này lại thua con cắt bé xíu.
Quạ đồng ý, nói:
- Chả nhẽ khôn như quạ ta
đây mà lại chịu thua con cắt
nhãi ranh.
Thế rồi, một hôm hai con bắt
gặp con cắt đang lượn lờ trên
không trung mới hò nhau
đánh cắt. Cắt thấy quạ và diều
đến bèn như mũi tên lao vút
từ trên xuống. Quạ và diều
đuổi theo. Cắt lại nghiêng
cánh lao ngay, rồi bất thình
lình mổ một cái đau điếng vào
đầu diều. Xong đâu đấy nó giả
chết nằm ngửa giữa không
trung. Quạ và diều sà xuống,
nó liền đạp vào bụng diều và
quạ. Nó cứ thế đánh móc vào
lườn, vào đầu làm cho quạ và
diều bơ phờ, lông bay tứ tung.
Quạ chịu thua, mệt quá, mới
đậu vào cành cao mà kêu diều
rằng:
- Nó nhỏ nhưng nhanh lắm.
Chúng ta không thể làm gì nó
được.
Lúc đó có ngọn gió vừa tới
bảo với quạ và diều rằng:
- Ồ chúng bay chẳng hay,
người ta chả có câu “nhanh
như cắt” là gì. Nó còn nhanh
hơn cả gió tao đây.
Nhanh để mổ, cướp giật của
thiên hạ thì thật là đáng trách.
Cái thói chảo chớp nửa công
khai, nửa lén lút thường người
đời phán cho kẻ ăn cướp, ăn
trộm đó chẳng khác gì giống
cắt ở truyện trên. Còn như
nhanh nhẹn hoạt bát trong
công việc để chớp lấy thời cơ,
làm có hiệu quả thì lại là điều
đáng khen lắm thay.
(Tiêu Hà Minh, 2014)
(In the past, a hawk and a
kestrel befriended with each
other, together they go
preying. Initially, the two
caught a lot.
Since the hawk has eagle eye,
everything is clear to him, but
the kestrel is fast, can swoop
down on the right place of the
prey.
Thus, whenever the chicken
see the two they run to shelter,
so the two find it hard catch
the prey. Go together can find
no benefit, they decided to go
their own way.
The hawk went for a while,
watched the chicks, swooping
down to catch one, were very
happy about, waiting to see
what kestrel would catch and
then both could share the
meal.
On the contrary, kestrel didn't
go to catch any prey and went
back with nothing. Kestrel
saw hawk waiting, having a
chicken beside, he sneaked to
steal the chicken immediately
and flew away. The hawk
chased. The two fighting
violently. Though the hawk is
big and violent, but couldn't
fight against kestrel, though
kestrel is small but it's fast.
The hawk had to lose the
chicken. Since then, they're
not friends anymore.
Hawk was very angry so he
made friends with a crow.
Both joined hands to fight
kestrel. Hawk said:
- If we don‟t fight him, he will
continue to steal our prey. We
both are very big and strong,
it‟s impossible to lose kestrel.
Crow agreed, said:
- With my wisdom, I cannot
lose a dumb like kestrel.
One day, both saw kestrel on
the sky and together fought
kestrel. Kestrel saw hawk and
crow flying as fast as an
arrow upside down, moved
away and suddenly pecked on
hawk‟s head viciously. Then
he pretended to be dead lying
in the middle of the air. Crow
and hawk descended, he
kicked both, then he fight
viciously making hawk and
crow tired and hurt.
Crow surrendered, stood on a
branch and said:
- He‟s small but strong and
fast, we couldn‟t do anything.
At the time, a wind came and
said:
- Oh you didn‟t know? They
said “as fast as a kestrel”. It‟s
even faster than me.
It is blameful to steal things
from people like the way of
the kestrel in the story.
Meanwhile, the ability to try
to work hard, effectively,
productively and seize
opportunities is a
praiseworthy thing.
Table 3.12 As light as air

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As light as air Nhẹ như bấc

As light as a feather Nhẹ như không
Nhẹ như/ tựa lông [hồng]

Adj: nhẹ Adj: nhẹ
As…as: simile. Như/ tựa: simile.
a: article N: bấc/ không/ lông [hồng]
N: air/ feather
3 Meanings Based - air: the mixture of - bấc: gió bấc (northern wind);
on gases that surrounds cây bấc (rushes)
vocabul the earth and that we
ary breathe
- không [khí]: air
- feather: one of the

many soft light parts - lông [hồng]: feather
covering a bird‟s
body
Based As light as air/ a Nhẹ như bấc/ không/ lông

on feather: very light, [hồng]: rất nhẹ (As light as
meaning so light that we feel air/ a feather)
of whole like it doesn‟t
idiom weigh; extremely
lightweight
B/ Comparison:

comparison.
Air = a feather

Adj: light Adj: nhẹ
a: article N: bấc/ không/ lông [hồng]
N: a new penny/ day/ light/
silver

- IMAGE=> Air/ a feather- IMAGE=> bấc/ không/ lông
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> [hồng] (air/ feather)
very light - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
very light (rất nhẹ)

+ Noun
5 Culture “Bấc” here can be understood

in two ways. First, it is a kind
of wind that flows from the
North. Second, it is a kind of
plant that is extremely light,
and when its thin body moves
along with the wind, we have
a peaceful and beautiful sight.
Trên báo Kinh Tế Sài Gòn

online ngày 2/4/2015 của tác
giả Danh Đức, có một bài báo
tựa đề là: “Trách nhiệm nhẹ
tựa lông hồng?” để nêu lên
tính thiếu trách nhiệm ăn sâu
vào tiềm thức người Việt Nam
trên nhiều lĩnh vực của đời
sống.
Table 3.13 As hard as iron

A/ Description:
1 Idiom as hard as iron Cứng như đá

as hard as a stone Cứng như thép

Adj: hard Adj: cứng
a: article N: đá/ thép
N: iron/ stone
3 Meanings Based - iron: a chemical - đá: stone; rock

on element. Iron is a
vocabul hard strong metal
ary that is used to make - thép: steel: a strong hard
steel and is also metal that is made of a
found in small mixture of iron and carbon
quantities in blood
and food
- stone: a hard solid

mineral substance
that is found in the
ground, often used
for building; a small
piece of rock of any
shape
Based As hard as a stone/ Cứng như đá/ thép: rất cứng

on iron: very hard (As hard as stone/ steel)
meaning
of whole
idiom
B/ Comparison:

components, and it can be Stone = steel
comparison.
Iron = stone

Adj: hard Adj: cứng
a: article N: đá/ thép
N: iron/ stone

- IMAGE=> iron/ stone - IMAGE=> đá/ thép (stone/
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> steel)
hard - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
hard (cứng)

+ Noun
5 Culture
Table 3.14 Hungry as a bear
A/ Description:
1 Idiom Hungry as a bear Đói như cào

Hungry as a hunter

feature Structure: Adj + as + N Structure: Adj + như + Adj
Adj: hungry Adj: đói
a: article Adj: cào
N: bear/ hunter
3 Meanings Based - bear: a heavy wild - cào: this word in Vietnamese

on animal with thick fur is usually used to describe
vocabul and sharp claws how hungry somebody is, it is
ary the sound created when
someone is hungry and their
- hunter: a person empty kidney “express” its
who hunts wild hunger; quá đói đến mức ruột
animals for food or gan như cào như xé, cảm giác
sport; an animal that bị cào thành từng cơn liên
hunts its food tiếp.
Based Hungry as a bear/ Đói như cào: rất đói, bụng cồn
on hunter: very hungry cào (very hungry)
meaning
of whole
idiom
B/ Comparison:

comparison.
new penny = day = light =
silver

feature Structure: Adj + as + N Structure: Adj + như + Adj
Adj: hungry Adj: đói
a: article Adj: cào
N: bear/ hunter

- IMAGE=> bear/ hunter - IMAGE=> cào
hungry so hungry (rất đói)
4 Structure As + Adjective + as + (a/the) + Adj + như + Noun

Noun
5 Culture I could eat a horse is also a Trong bản dịch Thần Điêu
commonly used phrase to show Đại Hiệp, tác giả có dịch một
how hungry someone is. Or in đoạn như vầy:
Italian, Turkish and Cornish … Nó cảm thấy bụng nó đói
"Hungry as a wolf" credited as như cào, nó lần bước ra ngoài
phrases to mean "very hungry". khe đá. Gió lạnh lùa vào mặt,
ánh sao vàng nhấp nhánh đầy
nỗi cô đơn. Nhìn xuống chân
núi về phía …
Hay trong bản dịch Lộc Đỉnh

Ký của Kim Dung, người dịch
cũng dùng:
…Vi Tiểu Bảo thấy trên bàn
đã đặt mười mấy đĩa bánh
điểm tâm. Có đĩa còn bốc hơi
nghi ngút. Gã đang bụng đói
như cào liền nghĩ ngay đến
cách ăn vụng…
Trong bài thơ Gái quê (1965)

của Hàn Mặc Tử cũng đoạn
thơ như sau:
…
Ở chốn xa xôi em có hay
Nắng mưa đã trải biết bao
ngày
Nụ cười ý vị như mai mỉa
Mỉa cái nhân tình lúc đổi thay
Trên đời gió bụi, anh lang
thang
Bụng đói như cào lạnh khớp
răng
Không có nhà ai cho nghỉ
bước
Vì anh là kẻ chẳng giàu sang
…
Table 3.15 As pretty as a picture

A/ Description:
1 Idiom As pretty as a picture Đẹp như tranh

Đẹp như tiên [giáng trần]

Adj: pretty Adj: đẹp
a: article N: tranh/ tiên
N: picture
3 Meanings Based - picture: a painting - tranh: picture
on or drawing, etc. that
vocabul shows a scene, a
ary person or thing - tiên: fairy: a creature like a
small person, who has magic
powers, usually appears in
stories, or fairy tales
Based As pretty as a Đẹp như tiên/ tranh: very

on picture: very pretty, pretty, beautiful (As pretty as
meaning beautiful fairy/ picture)
of whole
idiom
B/ Comparison:

components.

Adj: pretty Adj: đẹp
a: article N: tranh/ tiên
N: picture

- IMAGE=> picture - IMAGE=> tranh/ tiên
- POINT OF SIMILARITY=> (picture/ fairy)
beautiful, very pretty - POINT OF SIMILARITY=>
beautiful (rất đẹp, rất xinh)

+ Noun
5 Culture The noun picture alone was In Vietnamese culture, the

used to describe beautiful image of fairy is usually very
objects from the early 1800s beautiful and meek, who can
on; this locution, however, make wishes come true and
dates from about 1900. usually help the poor, the
unlucky.
Fairies are beautiful not only
because of their appearance
but also because of what they
do to help people overcome
difficulties.
Most idioms which are presented above have its origin from culture values
such as “đen như cột nhà cháy”, some are from daily phenomenon or animals such
as “as fast as light”, “as fast as a hare”, “as black as a crow”, some from stories and
fairy tales such as “đẹp như tiên [giáng trần]”. And the comparison above deepens
our knowledge of idioms containing comparative elements.
Chapter 4 Conclusions & Discussion
The use of idioms, especially idioms that contains comparative elements is good not
only for language learning and language teaching but also good for those who want
to have a further insight into cross-cultural communication and customs of nations.
This part of language is interesting, teachers and students should exploit this aspect,
use it in learning and teaching because it‟s very useful. The idioms discussed in this
work are only some typical idioms usually used in conversations and many types of
text. But it gives a profound knowledge which can be exploited and applied in
language learning and teaching effectively.
Overall, the purpose of this work is to devote and give new ideas for the
development of English language learning and teaching. Anyway, there‟s room for
improvements.
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HCMC University of Pedagogy

Lecturer: Huỳnh Công Minh Hùng

Student: Lê Phước Thịnh

Student ID No. K38.701.125

Chapter 1 Idioms ........................................................................................................ 6

1.1 Definition .......................................................................................................... 6

1.2 Idiom meanings ................................................................................................. 8

1.3 What is missing in research on idioms? .......................................................... 10

1.4 Idiom translation ............................................................................................. 11

Chapter 2 Methodology ............................................................................................ 14

Chapter 3 Idioms Contrastive Analysis .................................................................... 15

Chapter 4 Conclusions & Discussion ....................................................................... 57

Table 3.2 As bright as a new penny ...................................................................... 19

Table 3.3 As clean as a new pin ............................................................................ 22

Table 3.4 As clear as crystal ................................................................................. 26

Table 3.5 As cold as ice ........................................................................................ 28

Table 3.6 As cheerful as the birds ......................................................................... 31

Table 3.7 As easy as ABC .................................................................................... 33

Table 3.8 As dry as dust ........................................................................................ 35

Table 3.9 As dumb as a statue ............................................................................... 37

Table 3.10 As plentiful as ants .............................................................................. 39

Table 3.11 As fast as a deer .................................................................................. 42

Table 3.12 As light as air ...................................................................................... 48

Table 3.13 As hard as iron .................................................................................... 50

Table 3.14 Hungry as a bear ................................................................................. 52

Table 3.15 As pretty as a picture ........................................................................... 54

1.2 Idiom meanings

1.3 What is missing in research on idioms?

1.4 Idiom translation

Table 3.1 As black as coal

No Feature English Vietnamese

1 Idiom As black as coal Đen như mực

2 Syntactic Types of Idiom: Adj Types of Idiom: Adj

3 Meanings Based - coal: a hard black - ink (mực) : coloured liquid

- crow (con quạ)

Based As black as coal/ a Đen như mực/ than/ cột nhà

No Feature English Vietnamese

1 Semantic The meaning of the whole Same as English

2 Syntactic Types of Idiom: Adj Types of Idiom: Adj

3 Figurative Simile: Same

4 Structure As + Adjective + as + (a/the) Adj + như + Noun

5 Culture Coal has been a stock Burned house column: In the

Starless night is the night that

Table 3.2 As bright as a new penny

No Feature English Vietnamese

1 Idiom as bright as a new penny Sáng như gương

2 Syntactic Types of Idiom: Adj Types of Idiom: Adj

3 Meanings Based - new penny: a new - gương: mirror: a piece of

- daylight: the light - trăng rằm: full moon: the

- light: the energy

Based As bright as a new Sáng như gương/ trăng rằm:

No Feature English Vietnamese

1 Semantic The meaning of the whole Same as English

2 Syntactic Types of Idiom: Adj Types of Idiom: Adj

3 Figurative Simile: Same

4 Structure As + Adjective + as + (a/the) Adj + như + Noun

5 Culture New penny is a new coin Mirror is a piece of special

Full moon is the moon when