Comparison of Vietnamese and English Language: Idioms

Comparison of Vietnamese and English Language: Idioms Abstract Language is a system of communication of a nation. Every nation has their own historical, civilized, cultural, climatic characteristics, so every nation has their own language. However, different nations have similarities and differences in expressing their ideas. Studying similarities and differences between idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese is liable to help the researcher to affirm that. Moreover, making some comparisons is a good way to memorize English idioms of comparison effectively and enjoyably. Hence, translation skill can be improved thanks to more knowledge about idioms. In addition, making comparisons between English and Vietnamese idioms can help the researcher to understand more about cultures of both of countries since similarities and differences in culture reflect coincidences and dissimilarities in ways of thinking and looking at the world of English and Vietnamese people. Idioms of comparison in Vietnamese and English:  A Contrastive Analysis Introduction Idioms of comparison are applied frequently in literature and in daily life. It serves as a tool to make the language more graphic. However, every language has differences in ways of expressing the same idea using idioms of comparison. The goal of the study is to discover some common types of comparison used in English and Vietnamese idioms. In addition, the study chiefly aims at finding out some similarities and differences between comparison idioms in both English and Vietnamese. Because there are so many comparison idioms in both languages, it is impossible to include all of them in the study. The study can just explore comparison idiomatic expressions which play an important part in the purpose of the study. Theoretical Framework Theoretical background of idioms in English Definition of idioms in English The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines idioms as: A group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words (Hornby, 2006, p.740). The viewpoint is supported in A Dictionary of Linguistics Phonetics. The author regards an idiom as a term used in grammar and lexicography to refer to a sequence of words which us semantically and often syntactically restricted, so that they function as a single unit (Crystal, 1985, p.225). According to A Dictionary of Linguistics, an idiom is any expression peculiar to a language, conveying a distinct meaning, not necessarily explicable by, occasionally even contrary to, the general accepted grammatical rules (Pei Gaynor, 1954, p.95). Feature of English idioms When mentioning semantic features of idioms, we had better focus on the figurative meaning of idioms. It is the most important characteristic of idioms to know whether an expression is an idiom or not. According to Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary: A idiom is a group of words which, when they are used together in a particular combination, has a different meaning from the one they would have if you took the meaning of the individual words in the group. (Sinclair, 1987, p.718) Smiley Goldtein (1998) also suggest that idioms are certainly more than the sums of their parts (p.76). That means the meaning of components of an idiom is different from the meaning of the whole idiom. That we can guess the meaning of an idiom or not depends on open or closed classes. As Yong and Peng (2007) suggest: In open class combinations, individual components are freely recombination and are used in a common literal sense. As co-occurrence of individual components is expected of this class of combinations, both their meaning and structures are predictable amenable to analysis. (p.178) For instance, we can guess the meaning of the idiom turn over a new leaf. Turn over means to make something change position so that the other side is facing towards the outside or the top and a new leaf is a leaf which is more beautiful, more perfect. Therefore, the meaning of the idioms can be guessed as to change your way of life to become a better, more responsible person. However, in close class combinations, we cannot guess the meaning of idioms. That is because they are characterized by semantic opaqueness, syntactic restrictions and structural stability (Yong Peng, 2007, p.178). For example, the idioms spread oneself too thin or for the birds. Idioms have a fixed form that usually cannot be changed (Heacock, 2003, p.ix). However, Heacock (2003) also claims: Not all fixed phrases are idioms. For example, close your eyes is a common fixed phrase, but not an idiom because each word in it is used in its standard meaning. The phrase keep your skirt is an idiom, however, because the phrase does not mean do not take off your skirt it means stay calm. (p.ix) Idioms can be divided into six different forms or structures: + Idioms located at noun entries such as in addition to', for the birdsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at verb entries such as look forward to, take off, hear aboutà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at adjectival entries such as in short, hot under the collarà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at adverbial entries such as once again, worse off à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at pronominal entries such as give it up, come to nothingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at numeral entries such as give a hundred percent, one by oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Its really important to know that modifying any components and functional words can lose the idiomatic meaning (Yong Peng, 2007). Theoretical background of idioms in Vietnamese Definition of idioms in Vietnamese According to Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « Ä ià ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™n Thà  nh Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ và   Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥c Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ Vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡t Nam: Thà  nh ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ Tià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿ng Vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡t là   nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £p tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹nh cà ³ cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥u trà ºc tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « hoà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·c cà ¢u nhÆ °ng hoà  n toà  n thuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢c phà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡m trà ¹ cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥p tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «, Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £c mà £ hà ³a hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ §u hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ u cà ³ tà ­nh chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡ch Ä‘ià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡u nghà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ thuà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­t, và   chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ° là  m mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t thà  nh phà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ §n trong cà ¢u nà ³i. (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, 2010, p.5) As Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n (2007) has noted in his book, thà  nh ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ là   tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­p hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £p tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹nh Ä‘Ã £ quen dà ¹ng mà   nghÄ ©a cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §a nà ³ thÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng khà ´ng thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™ già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £i thà ­ch Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £c mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t cà ¡ch Ä‘Æ ¡n già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £n bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng nghÄ ©a cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §a cà ¡c tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o nà ªn nà ³ (p. 8). Features of Vietnamese idioms Idioms are characterized by figurative and metaphorical meanings. Therefore, its too difficult to comprehend although we know the meanings of all their components. For example, là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y thà ºng à ºp voi, gà   Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™ gà   cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥c tà ¡c, Ä‘i guà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœc trong bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥ngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Especially idioms are originated from fairy tales, folk talesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦such as ba que xà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  là ¡, thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t cà £i thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng khià ªng, nà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £ nhÆ ° chà ºa Chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢m, sÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­ Hà   Ä Ãƒ ´ngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n Phan, 2009). Idioms usually consist of more than 3 components whose counterpoint, alliteration and rhyme are combined with each other in many different ways. There are some idioms of comparison such as nà ³ng nhÆ ° là ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­a, khà ³c nhÆ ° mÆ °a, nhanh nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºpà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Also, there are some idioms which are created according to counterpoint, alliteration such as tai to mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·t là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºn, mià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ng hà ¹m gan sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©a, cà ¹ng hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢i cà ¹ng thuyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n, ong bÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºm là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ lÆ ¡ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Besides, some idioms are originally spoken words in everyday speech which are usually used again and again for a long time and then develop figurative meanings to become idioms, for instance chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §i và ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «ng, theo voi hà ­t bà £ mà ­a, nÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºc chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y chà ¡Ã‚ »- trÃ…Â ©ng, Ä‘i guà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ Ëœc trong bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥ngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n et al, 2009). Theoretical background of English idioms of comparison At first, we should find out the definition of idioms of comparison which are also called similes. There are a lot of definitions of simile. According to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, simile is a word or phrase that compares sth to sth else, using the words like or as, for example a face like a mask or as white as snow; the use of such words and phrases (Hornby, 2006, p.1369). An idiom of comparison is also defined as: the comparison of two nouns with different meanings, using the words like or as to make the connection. Friendship is like ice cream, fear moved like lighting, and leaves feel as slippery as fish are examples of similes. (Tucker, 2002, p.41) There is also a similar but shorter definition in The Challenge of Effective Speaking: A simile is a direct comparison of dissimilar things using the word like or as (Verderber, Verderber Sellnow, 2008, p.197). The meanings of similes are figurative. Take the simile as tall as a tree as an example. When you say: Minh is as stubborn as a mule, you mean Minh is so stubborn, not Minh is as stubborn as a mule. Therefore, the simile as stubborn as a mule is considered figurative. Learners can sometimes be confused between similes and metaphors but they are really different: A metaphor, like a simile, is a comparison between two essentially unlike things. In contrast to a simile, however, where an explicit comparison is made (The eye is like a lamp for the body), the metaphor makes an implicit comparison (The eye is lamp of the body). (Robert H. Stein 15) Huff (2004) asserts that the only difference between simile and metaphor is that metaphor does not use the words like or as to make the comparison (p.98). In other words, two distinctly different things in a simile are connected by like or as while a metaphor is an implied but in many ways even more direct than comparison because the reader is expected to identify the comparison without the word like or as (Osborne, 1997, p.124). However, because similes merely join two disparate ideas or images, they are generally less fertile than metaphors, which can evoke additional and fresh shades of meaning (Ehrenhaft, 2008, p.145). Theoretical background of Vietnamese idioms of comparison In Vietnamese, there are 2 kinds of idioms of comparison: one employs the word nhÆ °, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a, tà  y, bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a nhÆ ° or cÃ…Â ©ng nhÆ ° and one doesnt. Based on similarities of characteristics of 2 things, 2 phenomena, 2 actions, the Vietnamese create a large number of idioms which use A to name or to modify B. Eg: Mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·t trà ¡i xoan: oval-shaped face. Star: a famous and talented person (usually in art, sport, culture). (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, 2010) The other kind of idioms of comparison includes the word bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng, tà  y, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a, sà ¡nh, nhÆ ° or cÃ…Â ©ng nhÆ ° which divides an idiom into 2 parts. Both of parts can be a noun, verb, phrase or clause. The second part whose function is predicating and complementing the first part is counted from comparative word. Eg: In the idiom tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢i tà  y Ä‘Ã ¬nh, tà  y Ä‘Ã ¬nh is the complement of the noun tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢i. In the idiom chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡y nhÆ ° bay, nhÆ ° bay is the complement of the verb chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡y. (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, 2010) A contrastive analysis of comparison idioms in English and Vietnamese Quantity comparison There are about 700 idioms of comparison in English, for example, as warm as sunbeam, to follow like a shadow, to work like a Trojan,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There are a similarity in the number of idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese. Some examples of Vietnamese idioms of comparison are là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡nh nhÆ ° tià ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n, xanh nhÆ ° tà  u là ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Similarities of idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese Although the culture of two nations is different, ways of thinking and looking at the world of English and Vietnamese is somehow similar. Hence, both Vietnamese and English express ideas and concepts in the same way. In fact, a large number of Vietnamese idioms of comparison are similar with English idioms of comparison in terms of both concept and image to express. English idioms Vietnamese idioms As black as coal Ä en nhÆ ° than As black as crow Ä en nhÆ ° quà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡ As black as ink Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi Ä‘en nhÆ ° mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±c As sweet as sugar Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ t nhÆ ° Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng As black as soot Ä en nhÆ ° bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å" hà ³ng As brief as a dream Ngà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯n nhÆ ° mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥c mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢ng As bright as day Sà ¡ng nhÆ ° ban ngà  y As brilliant as stars Sà ¡ng nhÆ ° sao As changeable as the weather Hay thay Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i tià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As cold as ice Là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡nh nhÆ ° băng As cheerful as a lark Vui nhÆ ° sà ¡o As cunning as a fox Xà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £o quyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡t nhÆ ° cà ¡o As dark as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° nà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­a Ä‘Ã ªm As dumb as a an oyster Cà ¢m nhÆ ° hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n As fair as a rose Xinh nhÆ ° hoa As fast as a hare Nhanh nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  As fat as a pig Mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­p nhÆ ° heo As fierce as a tiger Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ nhÆ ° cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ p As firm as rock Và ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡ As fleet as the wind Nhanh nhÆ ° già ³ As fresh a rose TÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i nhÆ ° hoa As gay as a lark Vui nhÆ ° sà ¡o As gruff as a bear Hà ¡Ã‚ »-n nhÆ ° gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥u As good (valuable) as gold Quà ½ nhÆ ° và  ng As green as a leaf Xanh nhÆ ° tà  u là ¡ As heavy as an elephant Nà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° voi As hard as a stone Cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©ng nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡ As heavy as lead Nà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° chà ¬ As hot as fire Nà ³ng nhÆ ° là ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­a As keen as a razor Sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° dao cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o As light as down Nhà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹ tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a là ´ng hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"ng As light as a feather Nhà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹ tÆ °a là ´ng hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"ng As mum as an oyster Cà ¢m nhÆ ° hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n As pretty as a picture Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹p nhÆ ° tranh As quick as lightning Nhanh nhÆ ° à ¡nh sà ¡ng As quick as a flash Nhanh nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp As red as blood Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  nhÆ ° mà ¡u As red as a beetroot Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  nhÆ ° gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥c As sharp as a razor Sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° dao cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o As silly as a calf Ngu nhÆ ° bà ² As sour as vinegar Chua nhÆ ° già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥m As stink as a polecat Hà ´i nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"n As swift as lightning Nhanh nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp As smooth as velvet Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹n nhÆ ° nhung As slow as a snail Chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­m nhÆ ° sà ªn As swift as an arrow Nhanh nhÆ ° tà ªn bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯n As steady as rock Cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©ng nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡ As timid as a rabbit/ hare Nhà ¡t nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿ As thick as ants Ä Ãƒ ´ng nhÆ ° kià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n As transparent as glass Trong suà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœt nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §y tinh As yellow as saffron Và  ng nhÆ ° nghà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ As wet as a drowned mouse Æ ¯Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºt nhÆ ° chuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t As white as snow Trà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯ng nhÆ ° tuyà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As white as a sheet NhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y trà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯ng Like father like son Cha nà  o con nà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y To fight like cat and dog NhÆ ° chà ³ và ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi mà ¨o To stick like a leech Bà ¡m dai nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ °a To stick like glue Dà ­nh nhÆ ° keo To cry like a baby Khà ³c nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©a trà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ » To follow like a shadow Theo nhÆ ° hà ¬nh và ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi bà ³ng To swim like fish BÆ ¡i nhÆ ° cà ¡ Differences of idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese The same content but different images to express Images of idiomatic comparisons in twp nations are different result from differences in culture. Vietnam has the cultural tradition of the wet rice production. Therefore, animals have a strong attachment to Vietnamese daily life. Thats why Vietnamese idioms of comparison consist of images related to buffaloes which are an animal familiar with rice production agriculture. Buffaloes pull ploughs, work very hard everyday to help farmers in their farming. As a result, wanting to mention strength, people often refer to buffaloes. In fact, to talk about someone very strong, the Vietnamese have the idiom khà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ e nhÆ ° trà ¢u while the English have the idiom as strong as a horse. Thats because English people prefer horses to buffaloes. Horses can not only pull ploughs but also transport and entertain. They are really energetic and strong enough to help people in life. In spite of that, it doesnt mean that English people dont consider buffaloes strong animals or Vietnamese people dont regard horses as strong animals. That results just from the difference in culture. Also, dragons are a kind of animal which is very close in fertile imagination of Vietnamese people. Because of that, the image as a dragon appear in the Vietnamese idiom of comparison ăn nhÆ ° rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"ng cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn to talk about eating large quantities of food while the image of a horse is used in the idiom to eat like a horse. Lamp, butter are so familiar with English life while sweet potatoes, pig are familiar with Vietnamese life, as a result there are differences in images to express their ideas of gentleness and fatness: English idioms Vietnamese idioms As gentle as a lamp Hià ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n nhÆ ° cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ § khoai As fat as butter Bà ©o nhÆ ° là ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £n Besides, the differences in the ways of thinking and observing the world make differences in the images of idiomatic comparisons. Take some following examples to illustrate that: English idioms Vietnamese idioms As easy as ABC Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ nhÆ ° trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ bà  n tay As easy as pie Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ nhÆ ° trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ bà  n tay As easy as anything Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ nhÆ ° trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ bà  n tay As smooth as butter MÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £t nhÆ ° nhung As pale as a ghost Xanh nhÆ ° tà  u là ¡ As lazy as a lizard LÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i nhÆ ° hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §i As soft as wax Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ m nhÆ ° bà ºn As merry as a cricket Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As cheerful as the birds Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As glad as a fly Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As happy as a child Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As happy as a clam Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As dark as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ªm ba mÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i As black as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ªm 30 As dark as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° hÃ…Â © nà ºt As close as herrings Chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·t nhÆ ° nà ªm As soundly as a log (Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §) say nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As cold as marble Là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡nh nhÆ ° tià ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n As dry as a biscuit Khà ´ nhÆ ° ngà ³i As red as lipstick Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  nhÆ ° gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥c As thin as finger Gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ §y nhÆ ° bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢ xÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡ng khà ´ As weak as a kitten Yà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿u nhÆ ° sà ªn As weak as a baby Yà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿u nhÆ ° sà ªn As black as a stack of black cats Ä en nhÆ ° cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t nhà   chà ¡y As black as the ace of spades Ä en nhÆ ° cà º sà ºng As round as a barrel Trà ²n nhÆ ° quà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ bà ³ng As old as the hills XÆ °a nhÆ ° trà ¡i Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t As hot as mustard Cay nhÆ ° à ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºt Like hot cake Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯t nhÆ ° tà ´m tÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i As silent as the dead Im là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  As silent as the grave Im là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  What is more, the differences in human make differences between English and Vietnamese idioms. For example, in Vietnam, there is the idiom ghen nhÆ ° Hoà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡n ThÆ ° to refer to a person who is dreadfully jealous. However, in English, the idiom as jealous as Othello is used to talk about a ones jealousy. Another example is sÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºng nhÆ ° tià ªn and as happy as a king. Indeed, Vietnamese people consider a fairy the happiest one while English people consider a king the happiest one. The same components but the dissimilar content Every so often, some images of comparison can appear in both Vietnamese and English idioms but the meaning of the two whole idioms are quite different. Thats because the meaning of components differs in culture. Indeed, using the idiom rà µ nhÆ ° ban ngà  y, the Vietnamese want to indicate a event which has nothing fishy. Meanwhile English people use the idiom as bright as day to describe a light room. Besides, when the weather is fine and sunny with good natural light, English people say: Its as bright as day. Besides, wanting to compliment someone on his or her beauty of eyes, Vietnamese people say: Mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯t cà ´ sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° dao cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o. Still, English people use the idiom as sharp as a razor to refer to ones brainpower. What is more, whilst Vietnamese people apply the idiom chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° Ä‘inh Ä‘Ã ³ng cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t to something steady, as hard as nails in English idiom means a person who is quite strict. Also, when Vietnamese people say: Nà ³ tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœt nhÆ ° và  ng, they mean its worth buying the object because of its good quality. In contrast, as good as gold cannot be used to compliment an object. In other words, English people never say: Its as good as gold but The person is as good as gold. The person can be an assiduous and submissive child or a well-behaved adult. Pedagogical Implications for Teaching English Idioms of comparison Learning English idioms is one of steps so as to help learners master English. English idioms of comparison are frequently used in daily life. Therefore, teachers should help their students learn idioms most effectively. Firstly, its advisable for teachers to raise students awareness of similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English idioms of comparison. When teachers teach their students a certain English idiom of comparison, they should let them guess the Vietnamese idiom which is equivalent to that idiom, making a comparison and explain why they are similar or different. Its really useful for them to have a long-term memory about that idiom of comparison. Secondly, idioms of comparison as well as other idioms are taught and practiced in classroom but students rarely apply them to their daily speech. Thats why teachers should encourage students to use idioms of comparison in their daily life as frequently as possible. Learners will memorize idioms better if idioms of comparison are put into communicative contexts. Dont make them learn by heart. Thirdly, teachers should draw students attention to idioms of comparison which are most useful and most frequent. As there are so many idioms of comparison in English culture, about 700, students arent liable to memorize and apply all of them in their daily life. Students should be taught to know what idioms of comparison they should learn. Conclusion There are both similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison. The same or different image can bear resemblance in the meaning of English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison. In addition, there are some idioms of comparison which have the same components but the meaning are quite different. Great as have the researcher made an attempt to do the research, there are some restrictions on the research out of the limited time and other unexpected factors. The researcher hopes that the research will a useful material for learners and teachers to learn or teach most effectively.