4.2. Semantic features of “go” in English and “đi” in Vietnamese
4.2.2. Semantic features of “đi” in Vietnamese
As a verb, “đi” in Vietnamese has the following meanings:
i) Move from one place to another; travel.
Hôm qua tôi đi Hà Nội.
[I went to Hanoi yesterday]
Mẹ tôi đi xe đạp điện.
[My mother rides an electric bicycle]
In fact, đi with this type of meaning can be subdivided into:
a. (people, animals) automatically move from one place to another with the steps of lifting up and putting down continuously.
Bé đang tập đi.
[The baby is learning to walk]
b. (People) move to other places, whatever transportation or whatever ways
48 Đi chợ
[Go to market]
Đi máy bay [Go by plane) Đi du lịch [Travel]
c. Move to somewhere else to do something.
Làm đơn đi kiện
[Petition for something]
Chuyến đi biển dài ngày [A long sea trip]
d. (Means of transport) move on a surface.
Xe đi chậm rì
[The car is running so slowly]
Ca nô đi nhanh hơn thuyền [Canoes are faster than boats]
ii) Die (abstinence).
Ông cụ như cố chờ con trai về rồi mới đi.
[The old man tried to wait for his son to come home and then died]
iii) Indicate the direction of activity leading to a change of position.
Quay mặt đi [Turned away]
Nhìn đi chỗ khác [Look away]
a. Denote the activity, the process leading to the result of making no more or no longer exists.
49 Xoá đi một chữ
[Delete one word]
Việc đó rồi sẽ qua đi [That will pass]
Cố tình hiểu khác đi
[Deliberately understand it in another way]
b. Denote the result of a process of decline.
Sợ quá, mặt tái đi
[So scared, the face has turned pale]
Ốm lâu, người gầy rộc đi
[Sick for long, you have been skinny]
Bệnh tình đã giảm đi nhiều
[The disease has been greatly reduced]
iv) (Rarely used): disappear gradually, does not retain the original flavor.
Nồi cơm đã đi hơi
[The rice cooker has evaporated]
v) Move chess pieces’ position to create new position (in chess).
Đi con mã
[Move the knight]
vi) Perform and perform martial arts movements.
Đi vài đường kiếm
[Give some techniques of the sword]
vii) Work in a certain direction.
Đi chệch khỏi quỹ đạo [Deviate from the orbit]
Đi sâu đi sát quần chúng [Understand the masses]
50 viii) Toward a certain result.
Chẳng đi đến đâu [Have no results]
Đi đến kết luận [To conclude]
ix) Move on, enter another stage.
Đi vào con đường tội lỗi [Lead to a sinful life]
Công việc đã đi vào nền nếp [The work went into order]
x) (Informal) give someone something on the occasion of the New Year holidays, weddings or funerals.
Đi một câu đối nhân dịp mừng thọ [Give someone a pair of parallel sentences on the occasion of longevity]
Đi phong bì hai trăm nghìn đồng [Give someone an envelope containing two hundred thousand dong]
xi) Wear it to your leg or arm for protection.
Đi găng tay [Wear gloves]
xii) Tie together, fit together.
Ghế thấp quá, không đi với bàn
[The chair is too low; it doesn’t go with the table]
Màu quần không đi với màu áo
[The color of the pants doesn't go with that of the shirt]
xiii) Expel feces from the body (said off).
Đau bụng, đi lỏng
[Have stomachache, get diarrhea]
4.2.2.2. “Đi” as a particle
When đi is a particle, it indicates command or suggestion, prompt.
51 Cút đi!
[Get out!]
Im đi!
[Shut up!]
Chúng mình đi chơi đi!
[Let's go out!]
Tranh thủ nghỉ đi cho lại sức
[Take advantage of resting to recover your health]
4.2.2.3. “Đi” as an auxiliary
i) (Informal) express an emphasis on the anomalous or strange nature, the paradox of an event, to show disapproval or disbelief.
Đời nào mẹ lại đi ghét con!
[I will never hate you]
ii) Denote an emphasis on a very high level, as if that level is already the highest, can't be higher.
Buồn quá đi mất!
[So sad]
Rõ quá đi rồi, còn thắc mắc gì nữa!
[It's all too clear, what else is there!]
iii) Denote an emphasis on specifically calculated results.
Nó về hồi tháng hai, tính đến nay là đi mười tháng
[He came home in February, so far it has been ten months]
iv) Denote an emphasis on the hypothesis just stated, to assert that even with that assumption, it does not change the statement stated later, to emphasize the definitive nature of this statement.
Cứ tính tròn là 5 nghìn đi cũng vẫn rẻ.
52 [Rounding out to 5,000 is still cheap]