Syntactic and semantic features of proverbs and idioms denoting family relationships in english and vietnamese

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES OF PROVERBS AND IDIOMS DENOTING FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE (Đặc điểm cấu trúc ngữ nghĩa tục ngữ thành ngữ có chứa mối quan hệ gia đình tiếng Anh tiếng Việt ) HOÀNG THỊ THẢO Field: English Language Code: 22.02.01 Hanoi – 2022 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES OF PROVERBS AND IDIOMS DENOTING FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE (Đặc điểm cấu trúc ngữ nghĩa tục ngữ thành ngữ có chứa mối quan hệ gia đình tiếng Anh tiếng Việt) HỒNG THỊ THẢO Field: English Language Code: 22.02.01 Supervisor: Dr Lê Phương Thảo Hanoi – 2022 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “Syntactic and semantic features of English and Vietnamese proverbs and idioms denoting the family relationship” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Hanoi, 2022 Hoang Thi Thao Approved by SUPERVISOR Dr Le Phuong Thao Date: …………………… ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr.Le Phuong Thao , my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher A special word of thanks goes to all my lectures at Hanoi Open University and many others, without whose support and encouragement it would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my husband afor the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work ABSTRACT Proverbs and idioms are two important components of any langaues with their denoted meanings The current study aims at exploring and comparing the linguistic features, including syntactic and semantic features, of proverbs and indioms denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese To understand linguistics feaures of English and Vietnamese proverbs and idioms as well as the similarities and differences among them, the combination of the descriptive, comparative, mixed methods was employed by the researchers Data used for the analysis was collected from published books and dictionaries Research findings revealed that 1) In terms of syntactic features, English and Vietnamese proverbs and idioms are similar in shortness and conciseness, symmetrical structure and comparative patterns However, while English proverbs and idioms were found in three types of sentences, including simple, compound and complex, Vietnamese ones were only found in simple and compound sentences; and 2) Regarding semantic features, most of the idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships have both a literal meaning and figurative meaning; the contents of both English idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships and Vietnamese ones mainly reflect the relationships between husbands and wives, the relationships between parents and children and the relationship among siblings Based on research findings, the implications were generated for effective English learning and teaching as well as proper use of idioms and proverbs by EFL learners TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 1.2 Rationale Aims and objectives 1.2.1 1.2.2 Aims Objectives 1.3 Scope of research 1.4 1.5 Significance of research Research questions 1.6 Research methods 1.7 Structure of thesis CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Previous studies 2.1.1 Previous studies overseas 2.1.2 2.2 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.2.3 2.3 2.3.1 Previous studies in Vietnam An overview of syntax and semantics The theory of syntax The theory of semantics 11 Relation between syntactics and semantic 13 An overview of proverbs 14 Definition of proverbs 14 2.3.2 Classifications of proverbs 15 2.3.3 Features of proverbs 18 2.4 An overview of idioms 21 2.4.1 Definition of idioms 21 2.4.2 Classifications of idioms 22 2.4.3 Features of idioms 24 2.5 The distinction between idioms and proverbs 27 2.6 Proverbs and idioms denoting family relationships 28 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY 30 3.1 3.1.1 3.1.2 Research orientations 30 Research questions 30 Research setting 30 3.1.3 Research approach 30 3.2 3.2.1 Research methods 31 Major methods vs supporting methods 31 3.2.2 Data collection techniques 32 3.3.3 Data analysis 32 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS & DISCUSSIONS 33 4.1 The syntactic features of English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships 33 4.1.1 Conciseness 33 4.1.2 Symmetry 34 4.1.3 Sentential structures 35 4.1.3.1 Simple sentence patterns 35 4.1.3.2 Compound sentence patterns 37 4.1.3.3 Complex sentence patterns 37 4.1.3.4 Comparative sentence patterns 38 4.1.3.5 Phrasal structures 39 4.2 The similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in terms of syntactic features 40 4.2.1 Similarities 40 4.2.2 Differences 41 4.3 Semantic features of idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese 41 4.3.1 Attitudes towards women 41 4.3.2 Husband-wife relationships 44 4.3.3 Relationships between parents and children 46 4.3.4 Relationships of siblings 50 4.3.5 Other relationships 51 4.3.5 Hyperboles 52 4.4 Semantic similarities and differences between the English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships 52 4.4.1 Similarities 52 4.4.2 Differences 53 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 54 5.1 Recapitulation 54 5.2 Conclusions of the study 55 5.3 Implications 56 5.4 Limitations of the study 57 5.5 Suggestions for further research 57 REFERENCES 58 APPENDICES 62 Appendix A List of idioms 62 Appendix B List of proverbs 66 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale In response to the fast growing demands of globalization, Vietnam has seen enormous transformations in a variety of domains, including the economy, the environment, and the culture The most frequently used language in the world, English, is crucial to the advancement of both society and technology English is not only a powerful language for communication, but it also has a positive influence on many facets of daily life English has long been seen as an essential foreign language, particularly among the Vietnamese youth Particularly, it is included in the curriculum of almost every school and university However, every language has proverbs and idioms Learning and understanding them is extremely difficult The English language is no exception, since it contains a huge number of proverbs and idioms that are widely utilized as people's wisdom It is obvious that there are numerous distinctions between the two languages, including those related to phonetics, lexicology, translation, and grammar The metaphorical meaning, particularly in literature, idioms, and proverbial expression, may be used to illustrate the many similarities and contrasts between English and Vietnamese Although the study of English idioms and proverbs has long been linked to the study of literature, idioms and proverbs are not just used in literary texts EFL students should have a thorough understanding of how idioms and proverbs are employed in everyday speech, not only to increase their vocabulary but also to comprehend innovative and uncommon idioms and proverbs when they are spoken or heard These memorable proverbs and idioms are easy to learn and fun to use for English language learners, who frequently struggle with a limited vocabulary For older English learners, proverbs and idioms provide familiarity and comfort to an often unusual and uncomfortable circumstance In vivid phrases, proverbs and idioms can capture a point of view We learn proverbs and idioms throughout our lives, through relatives, teachers, friends, the media, and literature These traditional proverbs reflect folk wisdom gathered over time and experience They frequently capture a universal human experience that transcends cultures and languages As a result, employing proverbs and idioms in language instruction not only gives learners with a rich vocabulary but also provides them with a solid foundation of cultural knowledge represented in the proverbs themselves Hundreds of human generations have generated and used proverbs and idioms as a result of their careful observation of the world Because proverbs and idioms are condensed, they can be interpreted multiple times, across time, and in different situations They are intriguing because they not only touch on basic human topics, such as the physiological cycles of the human life cycle, but they also vary in ways that appear to represent distinct cultural variances Proverbs are utilized in the family and other community contexts to pass on rich cultural traditions, folklore, and to communicate expected rules of behavior So far, a great number of studies have been undertaken to explore various characteristics of proverbs and idioms as well as their relevance in language training Nonetheless, the majority of the research deal with proverbs and idioms in general In this study, the researcher would like to concentrate on proverbs and idioms that only refer to family relationships and compare and contrast them with Vietnamese ones Importantly, proverbs and idioms let learners recognize the interest, beauty, and cultural color of language, allowing them to utilize and grasp it appropriately and effectively The researcher expected that learners would grasp proverbs and idioms in English, particularly those denoting family relationships, which was also the major reason motivating the researcher to this research 1.2 Aims and objectives 1.2.1 Aims The study aims to help teachers and learners of English master proverbs and idioms denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntactics and semantics in the process of teaching learning English effectively 1.2.2 Objectives This study has three objectives as follows: - To identify the syntactic and semantic features of proverbs and idioms denoting family relationship in English and Vietnamese - To find out the similarities and differences between proverbs and idioms denoting family relationship in English and Vietnamese - To provide some suggestions for teaching and learning the proverbs and idioms denoting family relationship in English and Vietnamese 1.3 Scope of research In this research, the author expects to find out, analyze and contrast syntactic and semantic features of English and Vietnamese proverbs and idioms denoting the CHAPTER CONCLUSION 5.1 Recapitulation In this study, idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese are analyzed in terms of syntactic and semantic features Both English idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships and Vietnamese ones have shortness and conciseness Some proverbs consist of four word like the proverbs ―máu chảy ruột mềm‖ in Vietnamese and ―like father like son‖ in English Idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in two languages are structured symmetrically The structural components of the idioms and proverbs conform to two symmetrical parts which has similar parts of speech and an equal number of words in each part In English as well as in Vietnamese, the structure of idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships can be identified in sentences The sentence heading is sub-divided into three types: simple, compound and complex Basing on the analysis, we can see that English proverbs denoting family relationships have three types of sentences whereas Vietnamese ones just own two types: simple and compound However, some idioms and proverbs take the form of phrases which are recognized as the kernels of the idioms and proverbs Idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese are realized in comparative patterns The investigation reveals that Vietnamese shows a remarkably high rate of comparative idioms and proverbs (16%) while English displays a much lower rate (6%) Most of the idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships have both a literal meaning and figurative meaning In the process of analyzing the collected data, the researcher discovered that the figurative meanings of the idioms and proverbs are presented due to the use of stylistic devices which are simile, metaphor, metonymy and hyperbole The contents of both English idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships and Vietnamese ones mainly reflect the relationships between husbands and wives, the relationships between parents and children and the relationship among siblings It is not always true that all idioms and proverbs which contain family words such as parents, mother, father, brother or sister …denote family relationships and sometimes some proverbs which not consist of family words extremely express family relationships Proverb ―Poverty is 54 the mother of crime‖ is one of the examples The proverb suggests the poverty is the root or the origin of crime Another English proverb ―The apple never falls far from the tree‖ does not use any family words to implies that children are in many regards like their parents It is similar to Vietnamese idioms and proverbs Proverb ―Một giọt máu đào ao nước lã.‖ strongly expresses family relationships without any related family words while proverb ―Vợ chồng tuổi, ngồi duỗi mà ăn.‖ which conveys the experience of getting married at the same age will be happy are not concerned to family relationships In short, the contents of idioms and proverbs denoting relationships not depend on the related family words which make them up 5.2 Conclusions of the study In the study, the researcher has established a common theory of structural components of idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in both English and Vietnamese Basing on the finding of their conciseness and succinctness, it can be concluded that the words which are used in idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships are sharp, figurative and close to everyone They create a great effectiveness in communication There’s no need to talk much but the purpose of communication still achieves successfully Thanks to the symmetrical structure, idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese are easy to learn and remember They will go deeply into our minds in a short time This helps people be active in communication as well as in writing due to the available number of idioms and proverbs Based on the data analysis, idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English are normally more complex than those in Vietnamese in terms of sentential patterns Idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English exist in three types of sentences: simple sentences, compound sentences and complex ones meanwhile Vietnamese idioms and proverbs own two types of them: simple sentences and compound sentences However, comparative sentences in Vietnamese are more popular than those in English because of their different distribution Most of idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese carry figurative meanings Therefore, in order to understand the meaning of any proverbs we must get the knowledge of stylistic devices such as simile, metaphor, metonymy or hyperbole 55 and so on This will not only create great effects on interaction between the senders and the receivers but also make the works of art be more valuable So the meaning of any proverb must be analyzed in its unique context Idioms and proverbs denoting relationships in English and Vietnamese which consist of family words sometimes not express the family relationships and vice versa Therefore, it is not simply to correctly understand and effectively use idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese We need to have a certain level of knowledge to apply the proverbs in right situations If we employ the idioms and proverbs denoting family relationships appropriately we will create the power of communication 5.3 Implications For some people, teaching and studying Vietnamese and English is an easy chore, while for others, it is a challenging one These people may experience challenges for a variety of reasons, including a lack of "natural talent" or inadequate teaching and learning techniques However, the author believes that cultural awareness and the quick-witted and active ability to apply language knowledge to conversational contexts are the most significant factors that influence the effectiveness of teaching and learning English and Vietnamese in general, and idioms and proverbs in particular Teachers and students must therefore force themselves to master their native tongue and the culture of their country Teachers need to remember that, in some situations, people communicate by using language in general and idioms and proverbs in particular to express their own views As a result, one of the best techniques is for teachers to give their pupils specific circumstances where they can practice using idioms and proverbs Idioms and proverbs can be used in speaking sessions, and teachers can offer some to their students Encouragement should be given to students to deduce the meanings of idioms and proverbs from context or prior knowledge Teachers should review the studied proverbs after presenting idioms and proverbs in context The second important aspect is that teachers help students develop coping mechanisms for figurative language The ability to understand idioms and proverbs, their literal meaning, and the conceptual metaphors that underlie them will improve learners' ability to understand figurative language and so independently of teachers Idioms and proverbs can be incorporated into grammar lectures by using a few examples to highlight common sentence structures 56 However, in order to increase English language learners' awareness of translation, we believe that more emphasis should be placed on teaching idioms and proverbs that refer to family connections as well as their Vietnamese equivalents 5.4 Limitations of the study Under the constraints of time, knowledge and resources, the current study only collected more than 100 examples of proverbs and idioms that refer to family relationshipsin the two languages This sample size was relatively small therefore all semantic and syntactic features of proverbs and idioms denoting family were not fully analyzed and discussed The study was only able to look at a small portion of the structural syntactic classes, meaning categories, and semantic types of English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs that refer to family relationships Therefore, the research findings were still not comprehensive 5.5 Suggestions for further research To determine the similarities and differences between proverbs in the two languages, this study only looked at idioms and proverbs that refer to family relationships in Vietnamese and English in terms of syntactic and semantic aspects As a result, there will still be certain issues around this problem that require more research The following study could look into the cultural differences between Vietnamese and English idioms and proverbs that refer to family It might also be a study of the family-related pragmatism of English and Vietnamese proverbs 57 REFERENCES English Aitchison, J (2001) Language Change: Progress or Decay? Cambridge: Cambridge University Ayto, J (2009) The Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms (3 ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press Chierchia, G (2019) The Semantics of the Mass/Count Distinction: Recent Developments and Challenges Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Coinnigh, M (2012) Syntactic Structures in Irish-Language Proverbs Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship, 29, 95-136 http://www.academia.edu/1858455/Syntactic_Structures_in_IrishLanguage_Proverbs Copeland, D (2009) Generation A: A Novel London: Scribner Cowie, A P., Mackin, R., & McCaig, I R (1993) Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms Oxford: Oxford University Press Enfield, N (2003) Linguistic Epidemiology - Semantics and Grammar of Language Contact in Mainland Southeast Asia London: Routledge Evans, N & Sasse, H 2002, 'Introduction: problems of polysynthesis', in Nicholas Evans and Hans-Jurgen Sasse (ed.), Problems of Polysynthesis, Akademie Verlag GmbH, Berlin, Germany, pp 1-13 Fatchul, M 2008 Linguistic and Language Teaching Retrieved from https://fatchulfkip.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/linguistics-andlanguageteaching/ 10 Fernando, C (1996) Idioms and idiomaticity Oxford: Oxford University Press 11 Fraser, B (1970) Idioms within a Transformational Gram- mar Foundations of Language, 6, 22-42 12 Frawley, W (2013) Linguistic Semantics - 1st Edition London: Routledge 13 Ghazala, H (2003) Idiomaticity between evasion and invasion in translation: Stylistic, aesthetic and connotative considerations Babel 49 (3), 203-227 14 Haegeman, L (2004) The syntax of adverbial clauses and its consequences for topicalization Ghent University 58 15 Honeck, R P (1997) A proverb in mind: The cognitive science of proverbial wit and wisdom Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers 16 Jacobson, P (2014) Compositional Semantics: An Introduction to the Syntax/Semantics Interface Oxford University Press, Oxford 17 Kearns, K (2017) Semantics London: Bloomsbury Publishing 18 Kerschen, L (2012) American proverbs about women The USA: BookLock.com.Inc 19 Khan, T (2015) Concise Dictionary Of English Combined (Idioms, Phrases, Proverbs, Similies) London: V&S Publishers 20 Kimball, J B (2019) Syntax and Semantics London: BRILL 21 Makkai, A (1972) Idiom Structure in English London: De Gruyter Mouton 22 Martin, H M (2002) The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs The USA: An Imprint of Infobase Publishing 23 Mieder, W (2004) Proverbs - A Handbook The United States of America: Greenwood Press 24 Miller, J (2008) An Introduction to English Syntax London: Edinburgh University Press 25 Nordquist, R (2020) Definition and Examples of Syntax Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/syntax-grammar-1692182 26 Norrick, N R (2011) How proverbs mean: semantic studies in English proverbs New York: De Gruyter Mouton 27 Palmer, F.R (1990) Semantics Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 28 Riemer, M (2010) Introducing Semantics Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 29 Richard, T C (1861) Proverbs and their lessons London: G Routledge.Makkai, A (1972) Idiom Structure in English The Hague: Mouton 30 Richard, T C (1861) Proverbs and their lessons London: G Routledge 31 Robins, R.H (1989) General Linguistics London and New York: Longman 32 Seidl, J & McMordie, W (1988) English Idioms London: OUP 33 Shirley, A L (2004) The Perception of Proverbiality Proverbs: A Handbook London: G Routledge 34 Simpson, J & Speake, J (ed.) (2009) The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (5 ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press 59 35 Tanchip, C., Yu, L., Xu, L & Xu, Y (2020) Inferring symmetry in natural language Retrieved from https://www.cs.toronto.edu/~yangxu/tanchip_et_al_2020_symmetry.pdf 36 Taylor, J R (2002) Cognitive Grammar Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press 37 Tent, J (2013) Phonetic symmetry in sound systems Symmetry: Culture and Science, 4(4):345-368 38 Tyler L K, Marslen-Wilson W D, Randall B, Wright P, Devereux B J, Zhuang J, Papoutsi M, & Stamatakis E A (2011) Left inferior frontal cortex and syntax: function, structure and behaviour in left-hemisphere damaged patients Brain, 134, 415–431 39 Waltke, B K (2005) Book Review: The Book of Proverbs Longman 40 Weinreich, U (1978) Problems in the Analysis of Idioms" In William Labov and Beatrice S Weinreich, On Semantics Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018, pp 208-264 https://doi.org/10.9783/9781512819267-007 41 Xu, Z & Wang, H (2017) On the syntax and semantics of virtual linguistic terms for information fusion in decision making Information Fusion, 34(3), 43–48https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2016.06.002 Vietnameses Đặng Nguyên Giang (2014) Bàn thêm đặc tính ngữ nghĩa thành ngữ tiếng Việt [On the semantic properties of Vietnamese idioms] Từ điển học Bách khoa thư, 15 (1), 38-43 Đỗ Thị Thu Trang (2006) Graduation Paper: A Study on Comparative Idioms (from Cultural Perspective) VNU-CFL, Hanoi Hoàng Văn Hành (1987) Thành ngữ tiếng Việt [Idioms in Vietnamese] Văn hoá dân gian, 1, 25-32 Hoàng Văn Hành (2004/2008) Thành ngữ học tiếng Việt [Vietnamese idiom studies] Hà Nội: Nxb Khoa học Xã hội Lê Thu Hà (2001) Graduation Paper: A contrastive Analysis on Animalbased Comparison Idioms in English and Vietnamese VNU-CFL, Hanoi Mã Lân Giang (2012) Tục ngữ, Ca dao Việt Nam NXB Văn Học Nguyễn Đình Hùng (2007) Tuyển tập Thành ngữ, Tục ngữ ,Ca dao Việt – Anh thơng dụng NXB Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 60 Nguyễn Đức Dân (1986) Ngữ nghĩa thành ngữ tục ngữ, vận dụng Ngôn ngữ, (3) Nguyễn Lân (2003) Từ điển thành ngữ tục ngữ Việt Nam [A dictionary of Vietnamese idioms and proverbs] Hà Nội: Nxb Văn học 10 Nguyễn Như Ý, Nguyễn Văn Khang, & Mai Xuân Thành (2009) Từ điển thành ngữ tiếng Việt phổ thông [A dictionary of common Vietnamese idioms] Hà Nội: Nxb Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội 11 Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang (1978/2009) Thành ngữ tiếng Việt [A dictionary of Vietnamese idioms] Hà Nội: Nxb Khoa học Xã hội 12 Nguyễn Phương Thu (2010) Ca dao, Tục ngữ Việt Nam NXB Thời Đại 13 Nguyễn Thiện Giáp (1975) Về khái niệm thành ngữ tiếng Việt Ngôn ngữ, (3) 14 Nguyễn Thiện Giáp (1985) Từ vựng học tiếng Việt Nxb Đại học Trung hoc chuyên nghiệp 15 Nguyễn Thu Hiền (2014) Proverbs denoting family relationships in English and Vietnamese Master Thesis 16 Nguyễn Văn Mệnh (1972) Về ranh giới thành ngữ tục ngữ Ngôn ngữ, (3) 17 Nguyễn Văn Tu (1976) Từ vốn từ tiếng Việt đại Nxb Đại học Trung học chuyên nghiệp 18 Trịnh Thị Thu Trang (2006) Idioms of comparison in Vietnamese and English Unpublished thesis Hai Phong University 19 Võ Hồng Sa (2010) So sánh tu từ tục ngữ Việt tục ngữ Anh The unpublished thesis 20 Vũ Ngọc Phan (2010) Tục ngữ, Ca dao, Dân ca Việt Nam NXB Thời Đại 61 APPENDICES Appendix A List of idioms English A bad husband makes a bad wife A blind man’s wife needs no paint A fair wife without fortune is like a house without furniture A good man without a wife is but half a man A husband is always the last to know All women are good, either good for something, or good for nothing A woman’s work is never done Beauty is only skin deep Beauty is potent, but money is omnipotent 10 Blood will tell 11 Blood is blood 12 Children are certain cares, but uncertain comforts 13 Happy is he that is happy in his children 14 He that has a wife and children has given hostage to fortune 15 Home is where the heart is 16 It is a wise father that knows his own child 17 Learn young, learn fair 18 Like father like son 19 Lovers’ quarrels are soon mended 20 Men are from Mars, women are from Venus 21 Mother can take care of ten children but sometimes ten children can’t take care of one mother 23 Mother scratches child’s back, child scratches mother’s 24 My son is my son till he gets him a wife, but my daughter’s my daughter all the day of her life 25 She is the happiest wife that marries the son of a dead mother 26 The brother would rather see the sister rich than make her so 27 The family that prays together stays together 28 The husband eats hamburgers, the wife eats spring rolls 62 29 The shoemarker’s son always goes barefoot 30 The younger brother has more wit 31 The younger brother is the better gentleman 32 There is but one good mother-in-law and she is dead 33 There’s only one pretty child in the world and every mother has it 34 Three women and a goose make a market 35 What’s learnt in the cradle lasts till the tomb 36 When the husband earns well, the wife spin well 37 When the blood sheds, the heart aches 38 Women can conceal all what they know not 39 Women in state affairs are like monkeys in glass shops 40 Women must have the last word 41 Women see deep, men see far Vietnamese Anh em hạt máu sẻ đôi Anh em chân với tay Cha hổ mang đẻ liu diu Cha Cha sinh, mẹ dưỡng Chị dại có em khôn Chị em nấm nem ba đồng Chị em liền khúc ruột mềm Chiều chiều xách giỏ hái rau Ngó lên mả mẹ, ruột đau dần 10 Chồng ăn chả, vợ ăn nem 11 Chồng đó, vợ hom 12 Có chồng chẳng đâu, Có chẳng đứng lâu 13 Con chẳng chê cha mẹ khó, chó chẳng chê chủ nghèo 14 Con chị cõng em 15 Con lên ba lịng mẹ 16 Con có cha nhà có 63 Con có mẹ măng ấp bẹ 17 Con mạ, cá nước 18 Con khơng cha nhà khơng Con khơng cha nịng nọc đứt 19 Con khơn nở mặt cha mẹ 20 Con tiên, người cú 21 Con ngoan làm sang cha mẹ 22 Công cha núi Thái Sơn Nghĩa mẹ nước nguồn chảy 23 Công cha đức mẹ cao dầy Cưu mang trứng nước ngày ngây thơ 24 Công cha, nghĩa mẹ 25 Dâu dâu, rể rể kể 26 Hoa nhị lấy làm thơm 27 Khác máu lịng 28 Lệnh ơng khơng cộng bà 29 Máu thấm thịt 30 Máu chảy ruột mềm 31 Mẹ đánh trăm không cha ngăm tiếng 32 Mẹ chồng nàng dâu Chủ nhà người yêu 33 Mẹ già em ơi! Nhịn ăn, nhịn mặc, nhịn lời mẹ cha 34 Mồ cơi mẹ liếm ngồi chợ 35 Ngồi buồn nhớ mẹ ta xưa Miệng nhai cơm búng, lưỡi lừa cá xương 36 Nuôi cho vng trịn Mẹ thấy dầu dãi, xương mịn gối cong 37 Ni biết tình Thầm thương cha mẹ ni xưa 38 Sảy cha cịn chú, sảy mẹ ấp vú dì 39 Sống mồ mả, chẳng sống bát cơm 40 Thứ đẻ trai, thứ hai đỗ ông nghè 41 Trời mưa ướt đài bi 64 Con mẹ, mẹ xót, xót dâu 42 Trai mạnh, gái mềm 43 Vắng đàn ông quạnh nhà, vắng đàn bà quạnh bếp 44 Vợ chồng đầu gối tay ấp 45 Vợ chồng đũa có đơi 46 Vợ chồng mặt trăng,mặt trời 47 Vợ khôn ngoan làm quan cho chồng 48 Vợ chồng sống gửi thịt, chết gửi xương 49 Xem bếp biết nết đàn bà 65 Appendix B List of proverbs English A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple A good wife and health is a man’s best wealth A good Jack makes a good Jill A grey mare is the better horse A wise son heeds his father’s instruction Beauty will buy no beef Better be an old man’s darling than a young man’s slave Blood is thicker than water 10 Brothers are like hands and feet 11 Enough is as good as a feast 12 He that will thrive must first ask his wife 13 It is a wise father that knows his own child 14 Learn young, learn fair 15 Lovers’ quarrels are soon mended 16 Men make houses; women make homes 17 One father is more than a hundred school masters 18 Parents are patterns 19 Praise the child and you make love to the mother 20 Spare the rod, spoil the child 21 Spare the rod and you spoil the child 22 Strike while the iron is hot 23 Train up a child in the way he should go 24 Two women in one house will not agree long 25 Women must have the last word 26 What’s learnt in the cradle lasts till the tomb Vietnamese Anh thuận em hịa nhà có phúc Bên cha vái, bên mẹ kính Cái nết đánh chết đẹp Chị ngã em nâng 66 Chữ trinh đáng giá ngàn vàng Con gái chửa hoang, vàng không lấy Chồng tới vợ lui, chồng hồ vợ thuận Chồng giận vợ bớt lời, cơm sôi nhỏ lửa đời không khê Chồng giận vợ làm lành Day từ thuở thơ, dạy vợ từ thuở ban sơ 10 11 Đàn ông xây nhà, đàn bà xây tổ ấm Đập sắt cịn nóng Em khơn em chị, chị dại chị em 12 13 Gái chuyên chẳng lấy hai chồng Gái mà chi, trai mà chi, sinh có ngãi có nghì 14 Khơn ngoan đối đáp người ngồi, Gà mẹ hoài đá 15 16 Làm ruộng phải có trâu, làm giầu phải có vợ Mồ cơi mẹ liếm chợ 17 18 19 20 Mồ cơi mẹ liếm ngồi chợ Mơi hở lạnh Một giọt máu đào ao nước lã Ngồi buồn nhớ mẹ ta xưa, miệng nhai cơm búng, lưỡi lừa cá xương 21 Ngu si thể chồng ta, khôn khéo chồng người 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Nhà khó cậy vợ hiền, nước loạn nhờ tướng giỏi Ni biết tình, thầm thương cha mẹ ni xưa Rậm rậm Sảy cha chú, sảy mẹ ấp vú dì Sống mồ mả, chẳng sống bát cơm Thuận vợ thuận chồng tát bể Đông cạn Trẻ cậy cha già cậy 29 Thuyền theo lái, gái theo chồng 30 Tốt gỗ tốt nước sơn 31 Tre non dễ uốn 32 Trách cha trách mẹ nhà chàng Cầm cân chẳng biết vàng hay thau Thực vàng thau đâu Đừng đem thử lửa mà đau lòng vàng 33 Uốn từ thuở non, dạy từ thuở thơ ngây 67 34 Vợ chồng cãi hoài, cho ấm ngồi êm 68