University of Education
English Department
An Overview of English and Vietnamese Proverbs
A Contrastive Analysis
Bùi Thị Thúy Vân
Contrastive Analysis
Nguyễn Ngọc Vũ, PhD
December 30, 2011
Abstract
Human language, indeed, is a product of society and culture. It reflects social life and
culture and vice versa these aspects shape language’s variety in formulae, function to meet the
human’s communicative demand. Of all verbal genres of language, the folklore genres (i.e., folksongs, fairy tales, legends, allegories..) appear to carry social and cultural reflection the most.
And among those various folklore genres above, proverbs are the most concise form of wisdom.
They contain everyday experiences and common observations in short and compendious
language as effective and rhetoric expression for spoken and written communication.
With their multi-function in communication and variety in formation, proverbs have been
used, collected and studied for generations as informative linguistic signs of one culture. Using
proverbs in your utterances or articles makes them sound far more not only native-like, natural
but also vivid and effective. However, proverbs, as a concise form of cultural wisdom, are not
just understandable from its individual elements’ literal meaning. Each language, English or
Vietnamese has a long history and large quantity of proverbs that are closely connected with
their distinguish cultures and reveal their special national characteristics.
This paper investigates some resemblances, differences as well as some gaps between
proverbs in two languages: English and Vietnamese via explanations and examples.
Definition of English and Vietnamese proverbs
Proverbs are popularly defined as simple and concrete expressions of popular wisdom
which are widely known and repeated in certain culture or community. This wisdom is in the
form of observations that based on common sense or practical experience of humanity. Proverbs
can be seen as a bit of advice or simply an attitude toward a situation.
Many efforts were made to reach an academic definition. However, it seems that they
have not led to a more precise one. You can find in Cambridge advanced learner’s dictionary
(2005) a brief definition of proverbs as “A short sentence, usually known by many people,
stating something commonly experienced or giving advice”.(p.1017).
Also , Wolfgang Mieder defines a proverb as “a short, generally known sentence of the
folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and
memorizable form and which is handed down from generation to generation.”
Take the old proverb “nothing ventured, nothing gained” for examples. This complete
sentence contains a basic truth: If you don’t make efforts, invest time and money or even take
risk for something, it’s not likely that you can achieve it. Success comes to one who dares. This
truth is recorded and proved by generation’s observation and practical verification and
continuingly passed on as a proverb .
A similar definition of Vietnamese proverbs is posted on wikiquote .org, an online
encyclopedia. They noted that “Vietnamese proverbs are concise statements expressing deep
thoughts, practical knowledge, and experience-based judgments, covering all aspects of
Vietnamese life, and bearing some flavor of a particular culture.”
Nguyen Dinh Hung (2007) also defined proverbs in his book “Tục ngữ là một câu nói
hoàn chỉnh, diễn đạt trọn vẹn một ý mang nội dung nhận xét quan hệ xã hội, truyền đạt kinh
nghiệm sống, cho bài học luân lý hay phê phán sự việc.”(“Tuyển tập thành ngữ, tục ngữ, ca dao
Việt-Anh thông dụng”, p.10).
“Cha nào, con nấy” is an ancient typical Vietnamese proverb carrying the message about
the family inherited resemblances. Children in a family must inherit some characteristics from
their parents and we can look at a child to know something about its family or vice versa, at
parents to image their children.
Coincides in features and expressions of English and Vietnamese
proverbs
As an language genre that exists in almost every language, proverbs from all countries,
including English and Vietnamese, share some common features in markers and meanings that
can be briefly mentioned below.
One of the most acknowledged but controversy features of proverbs is traditional one.
Proverbs, as mentioned above, are collected and passed on through generations. It’s no doubt
that proverb definitions often include the term of traditionality. However, it isn’t easy to decide
whether a statement is traditional at all. How long does the statement exist enough to be
traditional?
As Meider raised in his book Proverb: A handbook the case of proverb-like sentence
“Where there were star, there were scandals.” and himself refused its proverbiality. He also
demonstrated that this created wisdom may sound like a proverb but need to be used over a
period of time by others to be a real proverb.
In Vietnam, the recently published book Sát thủ đầu mưng mủ can also provide us some
examples for the issue. The book lists many new ironic or for-fun sayings from the youth ,
including anti-proverb sentence (“ Cả con ngựa đau cả tàu không ăn cỏ”, “Ăn trong nồi ngồi
trong xó” ), anti-idiom one(“đen như con mèo hen”), idiom-like one (“chán như con gián”, “bực
như con mực”) and even some new proverb-like sayings (“đời rất dở nhưng vẫn phải niềm nở”,
“sống đơn giản cho đời thanh thản”). These new proverb-like does give some meanings,
viewpoints or experiences but listed in the book, they are only ironic sayings. It requires longterm recognition and usage to make these idioms or proverbs.
Other features of proverbs are much clearer. They’re all about formulaic formation of
proverbs.
Proverbs in both languages are short and concise, contain only two ,three words(“ time
flies”, “tham thì thâm”) to the average of seven.
Speaking of structural matters, how can we make too many proverbial texts with just a
few words? Several paremiologists, including Meider (2004, p.6), have claimed that proverbs
can be reduced to some certain typical moderns. Some of them are “Better X than Y, “Like X,
like Y”, “One X doesn’t make a Y”, “If X, than Y” in English such as “Better poor with honor
than rich with shame”, “Like father, like son”, “One robin doesn’t make a spring”, “if at first you
don’t succeed, than try,try again”. These typical patterns are easily found in Vietnamese proverbs
like “Chết vinh hơn sống nhục”, “Cha nào , con nấy”, “Một cây làm chẳng nên non..”, “Có chí
thì nên”.
These short patterns are beautified with certain stylistic features that are summarized in
Shirley Arora’s seminal article on “The Perception of Proverbiality” (1984) and repeated in
Meider’s work (2004). Those features are clearly demonstrated by proverbs in both English and
Vietnamese, including alliteration(“Forgive and forget”, “Tham thì thâm”), parallelism(“Easy
come, easy go”, “Đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm”), rhyme(“A little pot is soon hot”, “Một giọt máu
đào hơn ao nước lã”) and ellipsis (“Once bitten, two shy”, “Có chí, thì nên”).
Besides, rhetorical effectiveness are also added to proverbs through some internal
features such as hyperbole (“All is fair in love and war”, “Tấc đất, tấc vàng”), paradox (“The
nearer the church, the farther from God”, “Thất bại là mẹ thành công”) and personification
(“Hunger is the best cook”, “Cái chết đánh chết cái đẹp”).Metaphor, employed in a figurative or
indirect way, also play a big role in this task (“A watched pot never boils”, “Cái kim trong bọc
cũng có ngày lòi ra”) although not all proverbs contain metaphor.
In addition to those universal features, proverbs in English and Vietnamese still share one
more feature: idiom inclusion. Hung (2007) wrote in his book that English and Vietnamese
proverbs can both contain an idiom. He also took out some examples in English such as “Don’t
put all your eggs in one basket” ,including “put all one’s eggs in one basket”; “Birds of a feather
flock together” with the presence of the idiom “Birds of a feather” and in Vietnamese “Cháy nhà
hàng xóm, bình chân như vại” with the idiom “bình chân như vại”.
Bypassing all those linguistic formation, it is proverbs’ images and meanings that count.
Although English and Vietnamese proverbs come from two quiet different cultures,
western and eastern ones, they somehow capture similar daily observations and experiences.
There are some proverbs that are even expressed with same images despite their different
origins, the cultures, lifestyles and ways of thinking they come from. Although there’s not a
large number of them, we can take the proverbs “Easy come, easy goes” and ” Dễ được, dễ mất”
in two languages as examples. They both bring the message that something like money or
materials you gain easily without efforts tend to get spent or consumed in a easy way as it
comes.
Some other proverbs with similar images and meanings in English and Vietnamese can
be listed such as:

A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Lúc họoạn nạn mới biết bạn bè

Great minds think alike
Chí lớn thường gặp nhau

Blood is much thicker than water.
Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước lã.

Laughter is the best medicine
Một nụ cười bằng mười thang thuốc bổ

Speech is silver, silence is golden
Lời nói là bạc, im lặng là vàng

United we stand, divided we fall
Đoàn kết thì sống, chia rẽ thì chết.

Grasp all, lose all.
Tham thì thâm

Other times, other ways
Mỗi thời, mỗi cách

Easier said than done
Nói dễ , Khó làm

The empty vessel makes greatest sound.
Thùng rỗng kêu to

Love is Blind
Tình yêu là mù quáng

Better die with honor than live with shame
Chết vinh còn hơn sống nhục

Don 't trouble troubles till trouble troubles you
Sinh sự, sự sinh

His eyes are bigger than his belly
No bụng đói con mắt

Like father, like son
Cha nào, con nấy

Silence gives consent
Im lặng tức là đồng ý

So many men, so many minds
Chín người, mười ý

The more, the merrier
Càng đông càng vui

There is no smoke without fire
Không có lửa sao có khói

One good turn deserves another
Ở hiền gặp lành
Differences in English and Vietnamese proverbs
As mentioned before, proverbs are wisdom collections that reflect cultures so they are
marked with assertive cultural characteristics. English and Vietnamese proverbs draw some
obvious differences in illustrative devices and meanings, which reflect profound affection of
different cultures, economics, religions and regimes. The same meanings are conveyed by
alternative images and same images don’t necessarily arouse similar messages.
It’s easy to see that most of the English and Vietnamese proverbs fall into this category of
comparison.
Those which bring coincide meanings conveyed by different images can be illustrated
with the example of this couple of proverbs:
“Mưu sự tại nhân, thành sự tại thiên” in Vietnamese and “Man proposes, God disposes”
in English.
Both proverbs give an explanation for the smoothness or roughness in the process of
doing something. Humans can make detailed plans and do their bests to achieve something but
finally, that success or failure we get is decided by an ultimate power. In English, almost people
are Protestants or Catholics so they consider Jesus, as a representative of superpower and
mention Jesus in this proverb as God. In contrast, Vietnamese people have long hold beliefs in
their ancestors then adopted Buddhism, Christianity and other religions later. To the majority, the
supreme power is not Jesus or Buddha but an power over the sky name “ông trời”. As the result,
“trời” is mentioned in this Vietnamese proverbs and “God” in English one. One meaning is
manifested in two images, reflecting different religious beliefs.
A large number of viewpoints and experiences that are shared by English and
Vietnamese people but showed in alternative imagery devices can be found as listed below:

Out of sight, out of mind
Xa mặt cách lòng

Birds of the same feather stick together
Ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã

A thief knows a thief as a wolf knows a wolf
Suy bụng ta ra bụng người

When the blood sheds, the heart aches
Máu chảy, ruột mềm

Travelling forms a young man
Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn

A picture worths a thousand words
Tai nghe không bằng mắt thấy

Practice makes perfect
Có công mài sắt có ngày nên kim

There's a will, there's a way
Có chí, thì nên

Judge not, that you be not judged
Dĩ hoà vi quý

Pay a man back in the same coin
Đi với bụt mặc áo cà sa, đi với ma mặc áo giấy

No pains, no gains
Tay làm hàm nhai

Necessity knows no laws
Túng thế phải tùng quyền

Ill-gotten, ill-spent
Cuả thiên, trả địa

While there's life, there's hope
Còn nước, còn tát

Do not judge the book by its cover
Đừng xét đoán người qua bề ngoài

Losers are always in the wrong
Thắng là vua, thua là giặc

What goes around comes around
Gieo nhân nào, Gặt quả đó

For mad words, deaf ears
Tránh voi chẳng xấu mặt nào

Half the world not know how the other half lives
Đèn nhà ai nấy sang

If you cannot bite, never show your teeth
Miệng hùm, gan sứa

Tit For Tat
An Eye For An Eye
A Tooth For A Tooth
Ăn miếng trả miếng

Neck or nothing
Không vào hang cọp sao bắt được cọp con

One drop of poison infects the whole of wine
Con sâu làm sầu nồi canh

So much to do, so little get done
Lực bất, tòng tâm

All dogs have his days
Ai giàu ba họ, ai khó ba đời
There is also a case when only one proverb of English can cover the meaning of the
addition of two proverbs of Vietnamese and vice versa.
We need both Vietnamese proverbs “Ăn có chừng, chơi có độ” and “Tửu bất khả ép” to
convey the whole meaning of an English proverb “Eat at pleasure, drink with measure”.
Moreover, the English proverb “Each bird loves to hear himself sing” just express a half meaning
of “Văn mình, vợ người” Vietnamese proverb.
Proverb Gap
Different cultures, societies, religions lead to not only differences in proverbs but also
some proverb gaps, some unique topics that rarely exists in another language. In this case of
English and Vietnamese, Hung (2004) noted in his book Tuyển tập thành ngữ, tục ngữ, ca dao
Việt-Anh thông dụng (p.14-15) that proverbs of experiences on agricultural production, weather,
nature place a remarkable part of proverbs, sketching a portrait of a wet-rice-cultivation culture
such as “Tốt giống, tốt má, tốt mạ, tốt lúa”, “Một lượt tát, một bát cơm”, “Đầu năm sương muối,
cuối năm gió nồm” or “Muốn giàu mua trâu cái, muốn lụi bại nuôi bồ câu” ,etc while we find
none of those equivalences or even proverbs in common topic in English.
Struggling and fighting is also a distinguish topic in English and Vietnamese proverbs. In
Vietnamese one, with the thousand-year history under domination and oppression of other
countries, the topic of struggle and fighting against dominant class and invaders for existence
and independence is fiercely attested with bitter and subtle images. Proverbs of this topic also
keep a remarkable number in the whole treasure. Hung (2007) reported some examples such as
“Miệng quan, trôn trẻ”, “Quan thấy kiện như kiến thấy mỡ”, “Hay làm thì đói, hay nói thì no”,
“Bà tiền bà thóc, bà cóc gì ai..”,etc. Meanwhile, the same topic is nearly ignored in English
proverbs. Just a few ones related to king, queen or miscarriage of justice are found with vague
and dim expression such as “A cat may look at the king” or “One law for the rich is another for
the poor”.
Pedagogical implication
It is obviously clear that proverbs don’t represent a logical philosophical system but once
the proper choice of proverbs is made, it is bound to fit perfectly the situation and serve as a
powerful formulaic communicative strategy. Abundantly, learning English proverbs is not for
beginners of English. However, it is rather compulsory for advanced learners who really want to
master the language and use it as second mother tongue.
Hence, a non-native teacher of English, at least, have to arm himself/ herself with an
sufficient repertoire of target language’s proverbs as well as that languages’ cultures, etiquette,
customs and manners, lifestyles, etc to expose the students to new languages more naturally,
attractively and effectively.
With its three rhetorical, referential and counsel function, proverbs enhance the students’
ability to expose to the target language’s community and communicate intelligently.
Proverbs is also one of the best devices for interpreting new cultures. By collecting and
comparing all cultural elements, proverbs provide a vivid demonstration of people, societies,
economics, lifestyles and ways of thinking in historical contexts.
At last, proverbs with all of their characteristics play an important role in translation
work.
Preferences
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Greenwood Press.
Hùng, N. Đ., (2007), Tuyển Tập Thành Ngữ Tục Ngữ Ca Dao Việt Anh Thông Dụng. Ho
Ch iMinh: Ho Chi Minh City Press.
Cambrigde advanced learners’ Dictionary. (1998). Cambrigde University Press.
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http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/English_proverbs
Proverbs. (n.d.). Retrieved on December 20, 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proverb#cite_note-9
Hazlitt, W.C., (1869), The English Proverb and proverbial phrases. London.
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http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BB%A5c_ng%E1%BB%AF_Vi%E1%BB%87t_Na
m
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from:
http://www.colloquium-proverbs.org/index.php?topic=seccao&seccaoid=19&papper=18
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, (n.d.). Retrieved on December 13, 2011, from:
http://www.proverbium.org/proverbs/nothing-ventured-nothing-gained/
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http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vietnamese_proverbs