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Contrastive Analysis
Instructor: Mr. Nguyn Ngc V
December 30, 2011
For instant:
As black as midnight
As bold as a lion (very brave, courageous)
As changeable as the weather / the moon
As clear as the nose on your face (obvious and very clear)
As dry as a stick
As easy as ABC
As dumb as a fish
As innocent as a dove
As loud as thunder
As merry as a cricket
As sour as vinegar
Its beyond doubt that the point of similarity is stated out very explicitly and
lucidly. When it comes to Vietnamese, we also have this case, in stead of using
asas we usually make use of nh, for example: en nh mc, ti nh
hoa, nht nh nc c, nh nh lng hng, d nh qu,
+ Comparisons with verbs:
Verb + LIKE + a/an/the + Noun
This kind of comparison is said to be implicit, yet its not hard to interpret the
meaning of the whole comparative idioms. With simple and common verbs used in
the structure, the users draw attention to the actions or demeanor of the subjects. Its
not arduous to find comparative idioms of this kind both in English and Vietnamese.
For example: to sleep like a log, to smoke like a chimney, to spend money like
Examples of this are not as abundant as those of the other kinds; however,
they are employed very often in reality, such as: to be like a bull in a china shop,
to have a memory like an elephant, (to go) at a snails pace, nh hn gp ma
ro, tin vo nh kh nh gi vo nh trng, n nh rng cun, ni nh rng leo,
lm nh mo ma, bo nh chim ra rng,
There is another way to classify idioms of comparison which mainly bases on
grammatical structure. As mentioned in A study on metaphor and simile in English
idioms and Vietnamese equivalents ( Dang, 2010, p. 47), if we follow this way of
classification, there emerges three main cases:
English idioms
Vietnamese idioms
+As A as B
A nh B
Ex: en nh than
+Like/as B
nh B
+C like/as B
C nh B
Ex: n nh ln
Vietnamese
As black as coal
en nh than
As black as crow
en nh qu
As bright as day
As brief as a dream
As brilliant as stars
Sng nh sao
As cold as ice
Lnh nh /bng
As fierce as a tiger
D nh cp
As firm as rock
Vng nh
Nhanh nh gi
As fresh a rose
Ti nh hoa
As green as a leaf
Xanh nh tu l
As heavy as an elephant
Nng nh voi
As hard as a stone
Cng nh
As heavy as lead
Nng nh ch
As hot as fire
Nng nh la
As keen as a razor
Sc nh dao
As light as down
Nh nh lng hng
As light as a feather
Nh nh lng hng
As pretty as a picture
p nh tranh
As quick as lightning
Nhanh nh chp
As red as blood
nh mu
As sharp as a razor
Sc nh dao co
As sour as vinegar
Chua nh gim
As stink as a polecat
Hi nh chn
As swift as lightning
Nhanh nh chp
As smooth as velvet
Mt nh nhung
As slow as a snail
Chm nh c sn
As swift as an arrow
Nhanh nh tn bn
As steady as rock
Cng nh
As timid as a hare
Nht nh th
As thick as ants
Nhiu/ng nh kin
As transparent as glass
As yellow as saffron
Vng nh ngh
t nh chut lt
As white as snow
Trng nh tuyt
As white as a sheet
Nh t giy trng
Dnh nh keo
Bi nh c
Nh ch vi mo
Bm dai nh a
Khc nh a tr
.
As we can see, there are lots of English idioms of comparison which have
exact equivalents in Vietnamese language concerning not only meaning but also
vocabulary. In no uncertain terms, such coincident cases somehow make translation
a little bit easier.
As dumb as a statue
Cm nh hn
As easy as ABC
D nh tr bn tay
As easy as pie
D nh tr bn tay
As easy as anything
D nh tr bn tay
As smooth as butter
Mt nh nhung
As round as a barrel
Trn nh qu bng
As pale as a ghost
Xanh nh tu l
As soft as wax
Mm nh bn
As merry as a cricket
Vui nh tt
Vui nh tt
As glad as a fly
Vui nh tt
As dark as midnight
Ti nh m ba mi
As lazy as a lizard
Li nh hi
As strong as a horse
Khe nh tru
As red as lipstick
nh gc
As close as herrings
Cht nh nm
As soundly as a log
As cold as marble
Lnh nh tin
As cold as ice
Lnh nh tin
As dry as a bone
Kh nh ngi
Im lng nh t
As thin as finger
Gy nh b xng
As weak as a kitten
Yu nh sn
en nh ct nh chy
t nh tm ti (bun bn)
..
Those dissimilarities are the inevitable result of different cultures, living
condition as well as ways of thinking, observing and interpreting the world. As we
can see, some concepts are obviously distinct in a certain region or culture, which
makes it easier to explain the unlikeness in language and particularly, in idioms. For
instant, in old days, ice, ABC, butter, are quite strange to Vietnamese people just
as bn, mng ti, hn, ngi, gc, tru, nhung, to people in England. This should
be paid attention when it comes to translation and teaching.
Same images of comparison but different meanings. People of different
culture can have different points of view. Some objects, animals or phenomena
sometimes can be found in both nations, both cultures, but they can be associated
with positive meanings in one culture and negative meanings in the other. That easily
explains why there are many idioms of comparison which have the same
comparative images but express different meanings in English and Vietnamese.
An excellent example is as good as gold. In English, this comparative idiom
is usually used to indicate a child or an adult who is well-behaved, decorous and
very disciplined. Differently, Vietnamese people often say Tt nh vng to mention
a thing or object which has very good quality . In fact, nobody would use tt nh
vng to talk about a person.
Another illustration is as bright as day and r nh ban ngy. In reality,
English people as bright as day to describe the good, sunshiny and cloudless
surroundings, ambience or a room which is well-ventilated and full of light. On the
other hand, Vietnamese people say r nh ban ngy to emphasize an affair which