Contrastive analysis on english and vietnames proverbs referring to parts of the human body

Luận văn, khóa luận, đề tài

The thesis could not have been completed without the devoted help of many people during the time of my doing it.

Firstly, I would like to express my deep thank to my supervisor

finish this thesis.

Secondly, I am grateful to my teachers from the Department of

Foreign Languages, especially the former Dean NguyÔn Xu©n B×nh

Thirdly, I am also indebted to my dear teacher Chrisstaples

and my dear friends who helped me a lot.

Student: NguyÔn §×nh Lu

Class: 40A2 - English

Index

Pages

Acknowledgments 1

Index 2 Part A Introduction 1 Rationale for choosing the subject 4

2 Aims of the study …… . 5

3 Objects of the study 5

4 Methods of the study 6

5 Scope of the study 6

6 Design of the study 6

Part B Content Chapter 1 Background 7

1 Where do proverbs come from? 7

1.1.Where do English proverbs come from? 7

1.2 Where do Vietnamese proverbs come from? 8

2 The position of proverbs in lexicology 10

2.1 Word structure and formation .

10 2.2 Semantics

10 2.3 Etymology

10 2.4 Lexicography 10

2.5 Phraseology 10

3 Proverbs, idioms, quotations, clichÐs and sayings 10

3.1 Proverbs 11

3.2 Idioms 11

3.3 Quotations 11

3.4 ClichÐs 11

4 Distinction between proverbs and idioms 12

4.1 Idioms 12

4.1.1What is an idiom? ……… 12

4.1.2 Kinds of idioms …… 13

4.2 Proverbs 13

4.2.1 What is a proverb? …… 14

Table 1 Table of distinction between proverbs and idioms 16

4.2.2 Kinds of proverbs 16

5 Distinction between English proverbs and Vietnamese proverbs 16

6 How proverbs can be interpreted 19

Chapter 2 English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human body 21

1 The position of proverbs referring to part of the human body 21

2 Parts of the human body

21 3 The classification of parts of the human body according to position 22

3.1 The direction from top to bottom 22

3.2 The direction from the front to the back … 25

3.3 The direction from the outside to the inside 25

Table 2 List of English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human body 27

Chapter 3 A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human body ……… 35

1 A contrastive analysis 35

2 The similarities 36

2.1.Using the same parts of the human body to express an idea 36

Table 3.Table of similar proverbs that refer to parts of the human body ……… 37

2.2 The same parts of the human body may be used for different purposes according to their functions ……… 38

2.3 Both English proverbs and Vietnamese ones hold a rhyme 40

2.4.There are two parts of the human body in one proverb 40

Table 4 Table of proverbs that contains two parts of the human body 42

3 The differences 43

3.1 The different cultures_ the conditions of nature and society 43

3.2 Using different parts of the human body to express the same ideas 44

Table 5 Different parts of the human body are used for the same ideas between English and Vietnamese proverbs 45

Chapter 4 The meanings of English proverbs referring to parts of the human body and their Vietnamese equivalents: … … 46

1 Meaning 46

2 The meanings of English proverbs referring to parts of the human body and their Vietnamese equivalents ……… 48

3 Rhetorical figures of speech in proverbs referring to parts of the human body … 50

3.1 Hyperbole in the proverbs referring to parts of the human body 50

3.2 Metonymy in the proverbs referring to parts of the human body 51

3.3 Metaphor in proverbs referring to parts of the human body 51

3.4 Personification in proverbs referring to parts of the human body 52

Table 6 The meanings of English proverbs referring to parts of the human body and

their Vietnamese quivalents 53

Chapter 5 Some suggestions for learning and teaching English proverbs 59

1 Methodology

59 2 What is the role of proverbs in learning and education?

60 3 Some suggestions for teaching English proverbs … 62

3.1.Teaching English proverbs through stories … 62

3.2 Stages for teaching an English proverb in general 64

Part C Conclusion 66

References … 67

Appendices 68

 Exercises for practice 68

 Keys 68

PART A INTRODUCTION

I Rationale for choosing the subject

When studying a nation's language, everyone wants to apprehend it thoroughly and master it well

To reach this aim, students are not allowed to skip the nation ‘s proverbs

On the contrary, they must inherit them with a thorough study; because in the social contact, a proverb used in a proper moment and place will have great effects on the collocutors' understanding

We often read the phrase “Language is a living thing” – as we have known that language is the address of the culture, learning a language is, in

fact, learning the culture of that country Phạm Quang Sán wrote in Nam ngạn chính cẩm “Các nớc ở trên mặt địa cầu này, nớc nào có phong tục của nớc ấy,

thì nớc nào cũng có thần hồn của nớc ấy, ngôn ngữ tức là thần hồn trong một

n-ớc phát hiện ra ngoài, "Trông mặt mà bắt hình dong", "Ngời làm sao chiêm bao làm vậy", cho nên muốn biết thần hồn trong một nớc thì phải xét phong tục trong một nớc; muốn biết phong tục trong một nớc thì phải xét ngôn ngữ trong một nớc ” (Vietnamese proverbs - Chu Xuân Diên, Social Science Publishing House, 1918, page3) This means that languages play an important part in the people’s life Meanwhile, proverbs are the generalized product of language or proverb as a popular phenomenon of the language plays an important role in the spiritual life of the community because they reflect a vivid picture of the

nation’s customs and cultural traditions Nothing ever becomes real till it is“

experienced, even a proverb is no proverb to you till your life has illustrated it”

(John Keats <1795 – 1821>) or A proverb is one man s wit and all men s“ ’ ’

wisdom” (Lord John Russell).

Every language has its own system of proverbs During the process oflearning English proverbs, we find various types of English proverbs, especiallyEnglish proverbs referring to parts of the human body It takes precedent inEnglish proverbs as well as in Vietnamese ones, that interests me very much

and urges me to choose the subject “A contrastive analysis on English and

that this study will contribute a small part to the teaching and learning ofEnglish proverbs Especially to those who want to study deeply this subject

"English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human body".

II Aims of the study

 To describe English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of thehuman body

 To make a contrastive analysis on proverbs referring to parts of thehuman body We try to find out the similarities and differences betweenthem and the distinction between English culture and Vietnamese one inthese proverbs

 To try to offer some suggestions for teaching proverbs at schools andoffer some possible types of exercises to improve the learning of Englishproverbs

 To improve English vocabulary through learning proverbs referring toparts of the human body

 To help learners of English thoroughly apprehend their nation’s folklore

as well as their mother tongue’s rich ability of expression

 To enable the learners to express their thoughts and feeling in Englishexactly, flowingly, meaningly, and figuratively

III Objects of the study

 Proverbs

 English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human body

 Meanings of English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of thehuman body

IV Methods of the study

 Statistic method

 Contrastive and comparative method

 Analysis and systematic method

 Obtaining advice from experts

V Scope of the study

 Due to the time limitation, we only focus on English and Vietnameseproverbs referring to parts of the human body

VI Design of the study

Part A Introduction

1 Rationale for choosing the subject

2 Aims of the study

3 Objects of the study

4 Methods of the study

5 Scope of the study

6 Design of the study

Part B. Content

Chapter 1 Background

Chapter 2 English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human

body

Chapter 3 A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs

referring to parts of the human body

Chapter 4 The meanings of English proverbs referring to parts of the human

body and their Vietnamese equivalents

Chapter 5 Some suggestions for learning and teaching English proverbs

 Exercises for practice

1 Where do Proverbs come from?

1.1 Where do English proverbs come from?

Proverbs come from two primary sources: the common and the wise.These two sources are not really distinct Something common and popular hasoften been documented by the wise, and something written by the wise hasoften been liked and freely used by the common The latter is the case wherequotations graduate to proverbs

Proverbs have largely originated from the traditional and collectivewisdom of mankind By way of examples,

Little strokes fell great oaks have obviously come from the

common experience of woodcutters in olden times

A stitch in time saves nine has evidently come from the

experience of housewives in mending clothes

Many English proverbs owe their origin to the Bible, e.g: A soft answer turneth away wrath

In addition to the Bible, several proverbs are believed to have their origin

in the works of William Shakespeare It is difficult to be certain whether theseproverbs were truly invented by Shakespeare or they were already in existencebefore or around his time Some examples follow

Brevity is the soul of wit (from Hamlet)

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet (from Romeo and Juliet)

Famous literary works have contributed to a lot of proverbs as illustratedbelow

A little learning is a dangerous thing (from Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope)

A thing of beauty is a joy forever (from the poem Endymion by John Keats)

Other proverbs are attributed to particular individuals; presumably wise and learned ones, e.g., “they also serve who only stand and wait” appears as the

last line in John Milton's sonnet on his blindness

Some English proverbs have their origin in other languages like French,Latin and Spanish The English versions may have developed in parallel, or

been borrowed from other languages For instance, “he gives twice who gives quickly” is a translation of “bis dat qui cito dat” (Latin) When the proverbs

have not been translated and are even today more popular in their original form,they can be readily recognized to have been borrowed from another language

Here are some examples

Caveat emptor (Latin) is more popular than Let the buyer beware

In vino veritas (Latin) is more popular than In wine, there is truth

Proverbs are an oral tradition that the Vietnamese people have conservedfor four thousand years of their history They are often used as popular

expression to criticize society and to describe the daily hardships of thepeasants As Vietnam is a farming country, one finds in most of the proverbs agreat deal of the peasant s’ life It is dominated by factors beyond the control ofthe peasants; floods, droughts, typhoons, etc Their existence is the continualstruggle.

Like English proverbs, Vietnamese proverbs also come from twosources: the common and the wise Usually proverbs are created naturallythrough the peasants ‘ life They are transferred from generation to generation

by the oral way Some proverbs were written by intellectuals, writers, poets, andfamous men Because of particular reasons, proverbs were widely propogated in

the community, examples: “ngµy vui ng¾n ch¼ng tµy gang ; c¶nh nµo c¶nh ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh “c¶nh nµo c¶nh ch¼ng ®eo sÇu, ngêi buån c¶nh cã vui ®©u bao giê ; ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh c “ ã tµi mµ cËy chi tµi, ch÷ tµi liÒn víi ch÷ tai mét vÇn ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh … They are in the KiÒu story by NguyÔn Du, are widely used as proverbs or “«n cò biÕt míi”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh(«n cè nhi tri th©n); “tai ho¹ tõ miÖng g©y ra, bÖnh tËt tõ miÖng ríc vµo (Ho¹ do khÈu xuÊt, bÖnh do khÈu ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh nhËp) The first one is of Khæng Tö and the second is of Phã HuyÒn (Chinese

author) (Vietnamese proverbs -Chu Xu©n Diªn, Social Science PublishingHouse 1975, page 55)

Proverbs are of intellectuals, writers or famous men They came to thecommunity by Confucian scholars, Confucianism came to Vietnam during theChinese domination and then the Le dynasty it became official idealogicalsystem of Vietnamese feudalism

Some proverbs are borrowed from other countries like China, “hä hµng

xa kh«ng b»ng l¸ng giÒng ë gÇn”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh (viÔn th©n bÊt nh cËn l©n), French “mÌo ®i råi chuét nh¶y móa”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh (le chat parti les souris dansent), a Russian proverb “mÌo v¾ng nhµ chuét tù do , ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh a German proverb, “phÇn ®Çu xu«i th× phÇn sau lät”(Frisch be gonnen, halb gennonen) Some proverbs are collected from other

ethnic groups

In the country such as the proverbs of Mêng people “con g¸i lµ tr¸i bßn ; mét n¨m lµm nhµ, ba n¨m tr¶ nî; chã cËy nhµ, gµ cËy gÇn cïm ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh “c¶nh nµo c¶nh “c¶nh nµo c¶nh ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh… Th¸i people have proverbs “gÇn löa r¸t mÆt, gÇn s«ng s¹ch m×nh”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh; gÇn quan“

th× khæ, gÇn nåi th× nhä ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh …these proverbs are also equivalent of Viet people‘s

ones Therefore the sources of Vietnamese proverbs are very various

2 The position of proverbs in lexicology

Lexicology is the study of words that are considered as a branch oflinguistics Lexicology can be said to consist of five essential branches:

2.1 Word structure and formation: It investigates all the

problems concerning the structure of the word and the way it is formed

2.2 Semantics: It focuses on the meaning of the word, chiefly the

lexical meaning because the grammatical meaning is studied in the grammar Itdiscusses types of meaning, the change and the development of meaning, thegrouping of words and so on

2.3 Etymology: It refers to the history and the origin of words.

Etymologists divide the English vocabulary into main layers: native words andborrowings (borrowed words)

2.4 Lexicography: It studies the problem related to dictionary

compiling They are the problem of the types of dictionary, the selection ofwords for each type, the arrangement of words and so on

2.5 Phraseology: It goes into set (fixed) expressions, which are

reproduced in speech as ready - made units There may be standardized word

phrases to very long sayings In English, there are such set expressions as: “good heavens ; diamond cut diamond ; no pains no gains ; as strong as a ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh “c¶nh nµo c¶nh ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh “c¶nh nµo c¶nh ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh “c¶nh nµo c¶nh horse ; two heads are better than one ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh “c¶nh nµo c¶nh ”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh so phraseology consists of idioms,

quotations, clichÐs, sayings and proverbs Like a picture, a proverb is worth athousand words

3 Proverbs, idioms, quotations, clichÐs, and sayings

Very often there arises the problem of distinction between proverbs,idioms, sayings A perfect solution is hardly possible since there are manyborderlines (cases) between them but in general, we can put them in separategroups as follows:

3.1 Proverbs: A proverb is a short saying expressing popular wisdom, a

truth, or a moral lesson in concise and imaginary way

He laughs best who laughs last.

Two heads are better than one.

Proverbs are also set expressions because their lexical components areconstant and stable Their meaning are usually figurative and they are ready-made units as well Proverbs, therefore, must be studied together with other setexpressions

3.2 Idioms: Idioms are difficult to define accurately They are also set

expressions; short sayings usually characterized by the fact that their meaningscannot easily be deduced from their components

 Examples:

Kick the bucket.

Let the cat out of the bag.

Break your leg!

3.3 Quotations: Quotations are also set expressions coming from

literature and gradually become part and parcel of the languages This meansthat many people using them may not know or may forget that they are quoting

In English, most familiar are from Shakespeare; Pope, etc

 Examples:

Give everyman thy ear but few thy voice

To err is man

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread

3.4 Clichộs: Clichés are quotations or sayings that are so frequently used

that they have become hackneyed and stable As they are constantly andmechanically repeated, they have lost their expressiveness and are thereforebetter avoided:

 Examples:

Stand shoulder to shoulder with

Pave the way to a bright new world.

Having dealt with the terms above it can be noted,“sayings, expressions

or phraseological units are general terms

4 Distinction between proverbs and idioms

4.1 Idioms

4.1.1. What is an idiom?

Language follows the rules but an idiom is one of the interesting thingsthat are anomalies of language, mavericks of the linguistic world The very

word idiom comes from the Greek idios - “one's own, peculiar, strange”.

Idioms therefore we break the normal rules

According to the definition of Vietnamese Dictionary (Linguistics

Institute - Da Nang Publishing House- 1977) " Thành ngữ là tập hợp những từ

cố định quen dùng mà nghĩa của nó thờng không thể giải thích đợc một cách

đơn giản bằng nghĩa của các từ tạo nên nó" (An idiom is a set expression whose meaning is often impossible to deduce from its components).

 Examples:

Một nắng hai sơng.

Or an idiom can be defined as a number of words which when takentogether, have a different meaning from the individual meaning of each word.

Idioms, like proverbs, are common sayings However, they usually do not

make sense at first sight and do not offer any advice: “to blow one's own trumpet , ” which means, to praise oneself or boast

So that idioms are fixed expressions that are commonly used They arenot complete sentences but words - An idiom is equal to a phrase

Idioms do not give comments, experience, a moral lesson, advice thatmake idioms aesthetic not educated, that is the reason why an idiom does notbecome a literary work - idioms belong to the language

An example of a Vietnamese idiom “mÆt hoa da phÊn” it only indicates

the aesthetic- beauty of a woman not a comment or advice or criticism, eventhough an idiom can be ornate and flowery (aesthetic function); so idioms donot bring about the full understanding about life and any lesson of the people'srelationship in the society (function of education and function ofcomprehension)

4.1.2 Kinds of idioms

Idioms take many different forms or structures An idiom can have aregular structure, an irregular or even a grammatically incorrect structure Theclarity of meaning is not dependent on the grammatical correctness A fewexamples will illustrate this:

4.1.1.1 Irregular form, clear meaning as in "give someone to understand";

"do someone proud"; "do the dirty on someone".

4.1.1.2 Regular form, unclear meaning as in "have a bee in one' bonnet";

"cut no ice"; "bring the house down"

4.1.1.3 Irregular form, unclear meaning as in "be at large"; "go great

guns"; "be at daggers drawn".

We find, in fact, that most idioms belong to the second group where theform is regular but the meaning unclear

4.2.1 What is a proverb?

People from all parts of the world use proverbs and sayings to transmittheir wisdom, knowledge, experience and feelings Like a picture, a proverb isworth a thousand words.

According to Vietnamese Dictionary (Linguistic Institute - Da Nang

Publishing House, 1977) "tục ngữ là câu ngắn gọn, thờng có vần điệu, đúc kết tri thức, kinh nghiền sống và đạo đức thực tiễn cuả cá nhân "(A proverb is

a short saying that often holds a rhyme and offers practical knowledge, life experience or a moral lesson)

 Examples:

Đói cho sạch rách cho thơm.

Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nớc lã.

Thừa ngời nhà mới ra ngời ngoài.

According to John Simpson - Proverbs - Oxford University Press “A proverb is a traditional saying which offers advice or presents, a moral in a short and pity manner".

“Proverbs are concise statements expressing deep thoughts, practical knowledge, and experience - based judgements, covering all aspects of life and bearing some flavor of a particular culture, sometimes in a specific period and sometimes beyond the time limits” (from Internet – http://

www.english proverbs.com)

What are proverbs? They can be defined as ' Pearl of wisdom '

-proverbs are wise sayings, so they need following characteristics:

4.2.1.1 They are popular and memorable.

 Example: All s well that ends well.’

4.2.1.2 They are short and to the point.

 Example: Practice makes perfect.

4.2.1.3 They provide wise advice.

 Example: Slow but sure wins the race.

4.2.1.4 They contain simple truth from experience over years.

 Example: Honesty is the best policy.

So a proverb is a complete sentence or speech, expressing completely acomment, experience or moral lesson A proverb can be considered as acomplete work of literature; therefore, a proverb contains three fundamentalfunctions: the function of comprehension; the function of education; theaesthetic function

 Example: Thuận vợ thuận chồng tát bể đông cũng cạn.

This proverb explains the comment about “united power”, life experienceand only when you work in agreement, you can be successful, a morality, ofhusband-wife relationship The function of comprehension in this proverb is tohelp people understand the equality, sympathy of the husband and wise thefunction of education is to contribute to directing the people’s feelings towardsthe good orientation in the relationship of the husband and wife as well asothers The aesthetic function is that the people are interested in the proverbbecause of its exaggeration and images.

According to the logical science, there are two thinking processes thatcan be used to distinguish between proverbs and idioms They are concept andjudgement The content of an idiom is that of concept and the content of aproverb is that of judgement So the relationship between proverb and idioms isthe relationship between concept and judgement The form of language agrees

with that of notion has a naming function“ " and the form of language agrees

with that of judgement so that they have a "reporting function" Idioms express concept so that an idiom has a “naming function" and a proverb expresses judgement so that proverbs have a "reporting function" Idioms are the

phenomena that belong to the aspect of language and proverbs belong to socialthinking, cultures and the spirit of the people (the community)

We can distinguish between idioms and proverbs by the followingdiagram

 Table1 Table of distinction between proverbs and idioms

Grammatical structure A fixed phrase that equals a word Complete sentence

Function of literature Function of aesthetic Function of comprehension

Function of literature Aesthetic function Logical thinking process Expressing concept

Generalize individual phenomena

Expressing judgements Confirm the attribute of phenomenon Function of linguistic form “ Naming” function made by words

Phenomena belong to the aspect of

4.2.2.2 Proverbs of the second type, which include many of the more colorful examples, use specific observations from everyday experience to make a point which is general, for instance, “you can take a horse to the

water” but you can t make him drink “ ’ ” and “don t put all your eggs in one’

seasons and the weather, such as “red sky at night, shepherd s delight,‘ red sky

in the morning, shepherd s warning ‘ ”

5 The distinction between English proverbs andVietnamese proverbs

Cheapest is the dearest ~ Của rẻ là của ôi Man proposes, God disposes ~ Mu sự tại nhân, thành sự tại thiên.

5.1.2 The second similarity is that a proverb can contain an idiom

Xỏ chân lỗ mũi

“ ” in the proverb chồng yêu xỏ chân lỗ mũi “ ” or in the

proverb chaý nhà hàng xóm bình chân nh“ vại ” We also realize this in English

proverb – “ birds of a feather flock together ” has an idiom birds of a feather“ ”

or the proverb “ don t put all your eggs in one basket’ ” that has an idiom “put all your eggs in one basket ”

5.2.3 The third similarity is that they can break the structure of common proverbs and change to use in particular situations

Ăn nên đọi nói nên lời Cái khó ló cái khôn.

They become as in “ăn không nên đọi nói không nên lời” and cái khó“

bó cái khôn ”

We also realize this phenomenon in the English proverbs “man proposes, god disposes ” becomes “writer proposes, author disposes ” With the new

proverbs, they can be used in particular situations; “never put off till tomorrow what we can do today” we can easily replace the verb “do” by “eat”, or “buy”

etc to make sentences more humorous, to make listeners amused and content towhat they want to express

Tèt gièng tèt m¸ tèt m¹ tèt lóa.

Mét lît t¸t mét b¸t c¬m.

Muèn giµu nu«i tr©u c¸i, muèn lôn b¹i nu«i bå c©u §Çu n¨m s¬ng muèi cuèi n¨m giã nåm.

It is rare to find such proverbs in English because English proverbs focus

on reflecting social relationship and seldom on the natural relationship as well

MiÖng quan tr«n trÎ.

Cöa vµo quan nh than vµo lß.

Quan thÊy kiÖn nh kiÕn thÊy mì.

Muèn nãi gian lµm quan mµ nãi.

Meanwhile, the English proverbs that reflect the class struggle are very

few as in “a cat may look at the king” (chó mÌo nhá gi¸m ngã mÆt vua); “one law for the rich, another for the poor” (luËt tríc cho kÎ giµu, luËt sau cho kÎ khã).

5.2.3 The third difference is that an English proverb cannot be mistaken for an idiom, but some Vietnamese proverbs can be idiom according to the understanding

“Trong Êm ngoµi ªm”, for example, it can be an idiom when we consider

it as a phenomenon that reflects the notion about stability both inside andoutside But if we look at the cause - affect relationship it is a proverb because it

give us an experience – a good inside will lead to a good ouside

5.2.4 The fourth difference is that in the metaphorical use, different objects are used to express the same ideas

An example of Vietnamese proverb “hàng săng chết bó chiếu , ” it equals

an English proverb “the cobber s wife is the worst shod ‘ ” or in “ngu tầm ngu, mã tầm mã” is equivalent of “birds of the feather flock together”.

Sometimes, an English proverb is equivalent to only a half of Vietnamese

one, for example “each bird loves to hear himself sing ” equals a half of a

Vietnamese proverb văn mình vợ ng“ ời” and in turn, only an English proverb can be equivalent of two Vietnamese ones, for example “ăn có chừng chơi có

độ ” and “tửu bất khả ép ” they are equivalent to English proverb “eat at pleasure, drink with measure” (ăn tuỳ sức uống tuỳ thích)

6 How prverbs can be interpreted

Proverbs are to be interpreted primarily in two ways: literally andmetaphorically

Many proverbs contain a universal truth and are to be interpretedliterally Consider the following examples:

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst

One is never too old to learn

The greatest talkers are the least doers

Out of debt, out of danger

Other proverbs apply to a variety of situations and are to be interpreted in

a broad metaphorical sense (and not just literally) Consider the examples thatfollow:

Between two stools, you fall to the ground

Who repairs not his gutters repairs his whole house

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Who gutters repairs his whole house.

Chapter 2

English and Vietnamese proverbs referring

to parts of the human body

1 The position of proverbs referring to parts of the humanbody

As well as English, Vietnamese contains about ten thousand proverbs.Because of their different cultures so that the proverbs of each culture havedifferent features

Of all proverbs, the proverbs referring to parts of the human bodyoccupy an important position In the treasure of Vietnamese proverbs, the group

of proverbs referring to parts of the human body is at all cognitive aspects ofproverbs and occupies a large number of all compared with other groups

This group of proverbs shows a lot of important and interesting features

of the thinking process The proverbs referring to parts of the human bodycontribute to expression of people’s thoughts, feelings etc

2 Parts of the human body

The parts of the human body used in proverbs are diversified They aremore variously used in Vietnamese proverbs than in English ones Thefollowing is the list of all parts of the human body that are used in proverbs wehave studied in both English proverbs and Vietnamese ones

2.1 Parts of the human body that are used in both

English

proverbs and Vietnamese ones

Body (th©n m×nh), head (®Çu), arm (c¸nh tay), hand (bµn tay), finger

(ngãn tay), leg (ch©n), knee (®Çu gèi), foot (bµn ch©n), the heel of a foot (gãt ch©n), hair (tãc, l«ng), mouth (miÖng), face (mÆt), eye (m¾t), nose (mòi), ear (tai), cheek (m¸), beard/moustaches(r©u), shoulder (vai), stomach (bông, d¹),

lip (m«i), tongue (lìi), teeth(r¨ng), skin (da), heart (tr¸i tim) ,etc

2.2 Parts of the human body that are used in Vietnamese proverbs only

Đùi (thigh), khoáy(cowlick), lợi(gum), gáy(nape) đít(anus), trôn(buttocks) tĩ(anal margin),nách(armpit), rốn(navel) etc

As the list above, we see that the parts of the human body used inVietnamese proverbs are more detailed than that of English proverbs This alsoshows that Vietnamese language is very abundant and diversified (multipleform)

3 The classification of parts of the human body according

to the position

In the system of the proverbs, the system of words referring to parts ofthe human body is divided into details according to their position

The position is considered in different directions

3.1 The direction from top to bottom

We have body (thân, mình), head (đầu), hands (tay), and legs (chân,

A sound mind in a sound body.

Two heads are better than one

A clean hand wants no washing.

Lies have short legs.

The body contains chest, neck, shoulders, stomachs, and hips

 Examples:

Muốn đẹp mặt phải nặng cổ vớng tay

Miệng ông cai, vai đầy tớ

Bụng lép vì đình, bụng phình vì chùa.

Cả vú to hông cho không chẳng màng.

His eyes are bigger than his belly.

You cannot put an old head on young shoulders.

Don t put one s own ’ ’ neck under the chopper.

The head contains hair, face, and cowlick (Vietnamese proverbs)

Tốt tóc gội cỏ mần chầu, sạch đầu thì gội lá sả.

Sống chỉ mặt, chết chỉ mồ.

Chữ tốt xem tay, ngời hay xem khoáy.

A good face is a letter of recommendation.

To cut off your nose to spite your face.

The arm contains hand and fingers

Sẩy vai xuống cánh tay.

Một bàn tay thì vừa, hai bàn tay thì vơi

Năm ngón tay có ngón dài ngón ngắn.

A clean hand wants no washing.

Many hands make light work.

Greedy fork have long arms.

The same knife cuts breads and fingers.

The leg contains knees, thigh, foot and heel

Anh em rể đánh nhau sể đùi.

Bụng đói đầu gối phải bò

Của ở bàn chân bàn tay.

Còn cha gót đỏ nh son, một mai cha khuất gót con thâm sì Lies have short legs.

Better to slip with the foot than the tongue.

If you keep your mouth shut, you won t put your foot in it ’

Measure another man s feet by one s own last.’ ’

The face contains smaller parts: eyes, noses, ears, mouths, cheek, and

hair(râu).

 Examples:

Four eyes see more than two.

The eyes are the window of the soul.

A hungry belly has no ears.

You can t peg people s mouths.’ ’

When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold.

Môi cong hay hớt, trớt môi nói thừa.

Lỡi không xơng lắm đờng lắt léo.

In Vietnamese proverbs, parts of the human body are used in more details

such as rốn (navel), hàm (jaw), gò má, (cheek_bones), and tóc mai (sideburns)

3.2 The direction from the front to the back

There is a distinction between chest and back.

 Examples:

Đợc thì chia bảy chia ba, thua thì ngửa ngực ra mà đền

Lng đòn xóc, bụng dọc dừa, làm thì lừa, ăn nh xa cán

Scratch my back and I ll scratch yours.’

And between face and nape (gáy _ Vietnamese)

Bớt bát mát mặt.

Nói ngời phải nghĩ đến thân, thử sờ lên gáy xem gần hay xa

A good face is a letter of recommendation.

3.3 The direction from the outside to the inside

There is a distinction among skin, hair, blood, stomach, heart

 Examples:

Beauty is but skin deep ~You cannot change his skin.

Blood is blood ~ Blood is thicker than water.

Near is my shirt but nearer is my skin.

His eyes are bigger than his belly

Home is where the heart is

Lòng sông lòng bể dễ dò, ai từng lấy thớc mà đo lòng ngời.

Có gan lội nớc thì có gan lội hồ.

Máu chảy ruột mềm.

Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nớc lã.

And bones include “ribs” (xơng sờn).

 Example: Con lên ba mẹ sa xơng sờn

From the analysis above, we see that in English proverbs and Vietnameseproverbs _ the prominent parts of the human body are used a lot more thanothers The front and upper parts are addressed a lot more than those of the back

and lower parts; for example, head, face, eye, hand, stomach, shoulder are used more than back, leg, etc

In proverbs, the languages are differently used There are four words in

Vietnamese proverbs to show the whole parts They are: ngời (Xấu ngời đẹp nết

còn hơn đẹp ngời), thân (Ai có thân ngời ấy lo, ai có bò ngời ấy giữ), mình (Có

mình thì giữ), xác (Bé con nhà bác, lớn xác con nhà chú).

In English, we only use the word “body”

To show the face“ ” part in Vietnamese, we have mặt “ ” and mạo“ ” (This

is the word “Hán Việt” _ the Chinese Vietnamese word) Ng“ ời hiền tại mạo”

the word mouth“ ” in Vietnamese, we have mồm, khẩu, miệng “ ”

Miếng ăn quá khẩu thành tàn

Miệng tu hú ăn lở rừng lở rú

The Vietnamese proverbs don’t hesitate to use the system of vulgar

words such as daí (“ penis), đít (anus), vú (breast), tĩ (anal margin), trôn

Bần cùng bất đắc dĩ, có lòi tĩ mới dịt lá vông.

Rắm đánh khỏi trôn, chiều hồn không lại

 Table 2: English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of

the human body.

 Heads / brains / foreheads

1 He that has a tongue in his head may find

his way anywhere

2 Two heads are better than one

3 An idle brain is the devil 's workshop

4 Two much knowledge makes head bald.

5 The highest heads are the most exposed

6 A skilled tongue makes a wise head

7 Don't put one's head into the noose ~ don't

1 Nứa đõn đầu là nứa sầu, ngời đõn đầu là ngời ngốc.

2 Một khoáy sống lâu, hai khoáy vỡ đầu, ba khoáy chóng chết.

3 Đàn bà tóc tốt thì sang, đàn ông tóc tốt thì mang nặng đầu.

4 Tốt tóc nặng đầu, tốt râu nặng cằm.

5 Đợc đàng chân lân đàng đầu

put one's head under the chopper

8 Everyone's faults are not written in their

foreheads

9 You cannot put an old head on young

shoulders

6 Đầu ai chấy nấy

7 Tốt tóc gội cỏ mần chầu, sạch đầu gội lá sả.

 Hands /arms / fingers

1 A clean hand wants no washing

2 Many hands make light work

3 Gossiping and lying go hand in hand

4 An empty hand is no lure for a hawk

5 A gift in the hand is better than two promises

6 The same knife cut bread and fingers.

7 A good surgeon has an eagle's hand, a lion's

heart, and a lady's hand

8 Cold hands - warm heart

9 A little thing in the hand is worth more than a

great thing in prospect

10 Her left hand doesn't know what her right

hand is doing.

11 Put not your hand between the bark and the

tree

12 Put your hand no further than sleeve

13 Greedy folk have long arms

14 The old hand bullies the green's horn

15 To raise one's hand once is like giving three

blows.

16 Nothing enters a closed hand.

17 Better a sparrow in the hand than a crane on

the roof

18 The devil finds work for idle hands to do

19 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

1 Chữ tốt xem tay ngời hay xem khoáy

2 Nốt ruồi ở tay ăn vay cả đời

3 Mồm miệng đỡ chân tay

4 Sẩy vai xuống cánh tay

5 Năm ngón tay có ngón dài ngón ngắn

6 Vả tay không hay bằng vả mồm

7 Chơi dao có ngày đứt tay

8 Một bàn tay thì vừa, hai bàn tay thì vơi

9 Của ở bàn chân bàn tay

10 Vỏ quýt dày có móng tay nhọn

11 Tay làm hàm nhai, tay quai miệng trễ

2 A honey tongue, a heart of gall

3 A fool's tongue is long enough to cut his own

throat.

4 To speak kindly doesn't hurt the tongue

5 The tongues of idle people are never idle

6 The tongue is not steel, yet it cuts

7 There is many a slip between the cup and the

lip.

8 There is many a slip ' twixt the cup and the lip

9 A tongue that dives about like a shrimp

10 Wide ears and a short tongue are the best

11 A skilled tongue make a wise head

12 His tongue is too long for his teeth

13 When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold

1 Mỏng môi hay hớt, trớt môi nói thừa

2 Mỏng môi hay hớt, dày môi hay hờn

3 Môi dày ăn vụng đã xong, mỏng môi hay hớt, môi cong hay hờn

4 Trai thâm môi, gái lồi mắt

10 Miệng lằn lỡi mối

11 Lỡi không xơng lắm đờng lắt léo

14 Better to slip with the foot than the tongue

15 An ox is taken by horns and a man by the

tongue.

16 He knows most who knows how to hold his

tongue

 Eyes / cheeks

1 An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

2 Among the blind, the one- eyed man is king

3 What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't

grieve over.

4 Don't fire until you see the whites of their

eyes

5 Cry with one eye and laugh with the other

6 His eyes are bigger than his belly

7 Four eyes see more than two

8 The eyes are the window of the soul

9 Far from eyes, far from heart

10 Everyone is a nobody in one's eyes; to think

no small beer of oneself

11 Fear has big eyes

12 Better one- eyed than stone blind.

13 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

14 Bright- eyed and bushy- tailed

5 Con mắt lá răm, lông mày lá liễu

6 Ngời khôn con mắt đen sì, ngời dại con mắt nửa chì nửa than

7 Mắt to hay nói ngang

8 Những ngời hi hí mắt lơn, trai thì trộm

c-ớp, gái buôn chồng ngời

9 Con lợn mắt trắng thì nuôi, những ngời mắt trắng đánh hoài đuổi đi

10 Trên trời Phạm Nhan, thế gian một mắt

11 Voi một ngà đàn bà một mắt

12 Dữ nh tê giác, ác nh đàn bà một mắt

13 Trai thâm môi gái lồi mắt

14 Con mắt là cửa sổ tâm hồn

15 Mắt con trai tai con gái

1 Lies have shost legs

2 A lie has no legs

3 Measure another man's feet by one's own last

4 Measure another man/ others feet by one's

own last

5 If you keep your mouth shut, you won't put

your foot in it

6 Better to slip with the foot than the tongue.

7 Don’t let the grass grow under one's feet

8 Better die on your feet than live on your

4 Sẩy chân hơn sẩy miệng

5 Anh em rể đánh nhau sể đùi

6 Bụng đói đầu gối phải bò

1 Blood will have blood

2 Blood is blood

3 Blood is thicker than water

4 Blood will tell

1 Một giọt máu đào bằng ao nớc lã

2 Máu chảy ruột mềm

1 A fair face may hide a foul heart

2 Two things prolong your life: A quiet heart

and a loving wife

3 One's heart is not a stone.

4 A grey heard, but a lusty heart

5 What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't

grieve over

6 You can never see into another heart

7 Man's heart is unfathomable

8 The way to a man's heart is through his

stomach.

9 A merry heart makes a long life

10 Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

11 Home is where the heart is

12 A heavy purse makes a light heart

13 A light purse makes a heavy heart

14 Faint heart never won fair lady

15 A light heart lives long

16 Kind hearts are the gardens; kind thoughts are

the roots; kind words are the flowers; kind

deeds are the fruits.

17 Far from eyes far from heart.

18 Faint hearts see danger lurking even where

1 An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

2 You dig your grave with your teeth

3 His tongue is too long for his teeth

4 When the lips ane gone the teeth are cold.

1 Kẻ tham ăn lấy răng đào huyệt

2 Môi hở răng lạnh

3 Cái răng cái tóc là vóc con ngời

4 Răng đen một góc tóc tốt một phân

5 Voi chéo ngà đàn bà răng khểnh

6 Trời quả báo ăn cháo gãy răng

 Noses

1 To cut off your nose to spite your face

2 Someone cannot see beyond the end of his

nose

3 Spite the face, spare the nose

4 He that has a great nose thinks everyone is

speaking of it.

1 Rắm ai vừa mũi ngời ấy

2 Vuốt mặt cũng phải nể mũi

3 Lỗ mũi mời tám gánh lông, chồng khen chồng bảo tơ hồng trời cho

 Backs / necks /throats

1 Scratch your back and I'll scratch yours

2 A fool's tongue is long enough to cut his own

throat

3 Mother scratches child's back, child scatches

mother's

4 Don't put one's own neck under the chopper

5 He is a good friend that speaks well of us

behind our back.

1 Những ngời thắt đáy lng ong, vừa khéo chiều chồng, vừa khéo nuôi con

1 A hungry belly has no ears

2 Wide ears and short tongues are the best

3 You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear

4 Walls have ears

5 Fear has a quick ear

1 Tai vách mạch rừng

2 Mắt con trai, tai con gái

3 Bụng đói thì tai điếc.

1 Sticks and stones may break my bone, but

words can never hurt me

2 Words break no bones

3 What is bred in the bone will come out in the

flesh

1 Không làm thì đói, làm thì chói xơng hom

1 Beauty is but skin deep

2 You cannot change his skin

3 Near is my shirt but nearer is my skin

4 Catch the bear before you sell his skin

5 Close is the skirt, but closer is the skin

1 Nhất có râu nhì bầu bụng

2 Đàn ông không râu bất nghì, đàn bà không vú lấy gì nuôi con

3 Những ngời da trắng tóc tha, đẹp thì đẹp thật nhng tha việc làm

4 Cá tơi thì phải xem mang, ngời khôn xem lấy đôi hàng tóc mai

5 Đàn bà tóc tốt thì sang, đàn ông tóc tốt thì mang nặng đầu

bữa có mài mà ăn

10 Tốt tóc thì gội mần chầu, sạch đầu thì gội lá sả

11 Đói bạc râu, sầu bạc tóc

12 Đói rụng râu, sầu rụng tóc

13 Cái răng cái tóc là vóc con ngời

14 Thịt da ai cũng là ngời

 Shoulders / breasts/ thighs/ anuses

1 Music has charms to soothe the savage breast

2 You cannot put an old head on young

4 Sẩy vai xuống cánh tay

5 Cả vú lấp miệng em, cả hèm lấp miệng hũ

6 Đợc thì chia bảy ba, thua thì ngửa ngực ra

mà đền

7 Miệng ông cai vai đầy tớ

 Mouths

1 You can't peg people's mouths

2 There are too many mouths to stop

3 Truth comes out of the mouth of babes and

sucklings

4 If you keep your mouth shut, you won't put

your foot in it

5 Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth

6 Butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth

7 One's heart is in one's mouth

8 Put your money where your mouth is

1 Miệng tu hú ăn lở rú ri

2 Miệng hoả lò ăn hết cơ nghiệp

3 Rộng miệng cả tiếng

4 Đàn ông rộng miệng thì tài, đàn bà rộng miệng điếc tai láng giềng

5 Đàn ông rộng miệng thì sang, đàn bà rộng miệng tan hoang cửa nhà

6 Những ngời chép miệng thở dài chỉ là sầu khổ bằng ai bao giờ

7 Miếng ăn quá khẩu thành tàn

8 Thơng miệng thơng môi chẳng thơng ôi

đồng tiền

9 Ăn vụng không biết chùi mép

10 Ăn ráy ngá miệng

11 Vạ tay không hay bằng vạ mồm

12 Sẩy chân hơn sẩy miệng

13 Miệng lằn lỡi mối

14 Bng đợc miệng bình miệng vò, nào ai

b-ng đợc miệb-ng o mụ dì

15 Miệng ông cai vai đầy tớ

16 Miệng thế gian không ít thì nhiều

17 Miệng nhà giàu nói đâu ra đấy

18 Miệng nam mô bụng bồ dao găm

24 Miệng tồ lô làm khổ chân tay

25 Có mồm thì cắp, có nắp thì đậy

26 Có mặt thì cô, vắng mặt thì đĩ

 Faces / stomachs /bellies

1 A good face is a letter of recommendation

2 To cut off your nose to spite your face

3 His eyes are bigger than his belly

4 Spite the face, spare the nose

5 The face is the index of the mind

6 Monday's child is fair of face

7 An army marches on its stomach

8 The way to man's heart is through his stomach

9 What is got over the devil's back is spent

under his belly

1 Trông mặt mà bắt hình dong con lợn có béo bộ lòng mới ngon

2 Nhân hiền tại mạo trắng gạo ngon cơm

3 Lúa tốt xem biên ngời hiền xem mặt

4 Ngời khôn dồn ra mặt

5 Lng đòn xóc bụng dọc dừa làm thì lời ăn

nh xa cán

6 Bụng bí rợ ăn nh bào làm nh khỉ

7 Nhất có râu nhì bầu bụng

8 Xấu mặt hơn béo bụng

9 Những ngời mặt nạc đóm dày mo nang trôi sấp biết ngày nào khôn

10 Những ngời mặt nặng nh mo chân đi bậm bịch thì cho chẳng màng

11 Trên rừng thì hổ mang dới làng thì mặt rỗ

12 Má miếng bầu coi lâu muốn chửi mặt chữ

điền tiền rỡi muốn mua

13 Trai bạc mắt gái thâm môi những ngời lông bông bụng chớ chơi bạn cùng

14 Chim hoa gà cú chớ nuôi những ngời lông bụng chớ chơi bạn cùng

15 Quân tử lông chân tiểu nhân lông bụng

16 Một mặt ngời hơn mời mặt của

17 Bụng lép vì đình bụng phình vì chùa

18 Dạ sâu hơn bể bụng kín buồng

19 Phấn dồi mặt ai nỡ dồi chân

20 Có mặt thì mắng vắng mặt thì thơng

21 Ai đội mũ lệch xấu mặt ngời ấy

22 Chó gầy hổ mặt ngời nuôi

32 Bụng đói đầu gối phải bò

33 Bụng đói thì tai điếc

34 Vuốt mặt thì phải nể mũi