
67821/,18,67,&1&8/785/
&+5&7(5,67,&62)0(73+256,1(1/,6+
19,(710(6(,,2065(/7(72&2/2856
1R7KL7KDQK7KDR
(PDLOWKDQKWKDRKRHQ
Received:05/08/2024
Revised:17/02/2025
Accepted:26/02/2025
DOI:10.59266/houjs.2025.534
EVWDFW:Toobtaineectivenessindailycommunicationandreducethe“burden”of
crammingwithalargenumberofvocabularies,peoplechangethemeaningsofwords.In
DWPHWDSKRV DQG PHWRQPLHVDH WRSRSD DV WR KDQHWKH PHDQLQV RRGV
Thisstudyiscenteredaroundmetaphorsin181EnglishandVietnameseidiomsrelatedto
colors.Thecomparativemethod,quantitative,qualitative,andsemanticanalysisareused
throughoutthisstudytondsimilaritiesanddierencesbetweenmetaphorsinEnglishand
9LHWQDPHVHLGLRPVHDWHGWRRRVLQWHPVRLQLVWLVDQGWH
.HRVmetaphor,similarities,dierences,English,Vietnameseidioms.
HanoiOpenUniversity
,,QWURGFWLRQ
In daily communication, people
oftenusewordsandword-equivalentunits
RUSUVQKLQJVDQSKQRPQDLQKLU
lives.However,ifpeopleonlyusewords
orcreatemoreandmorenewwords,the
numberofwordswillbeverylargeinthe
vocabularysystemofalanguage.Thatcan
KLQU FRPPQLFDLRQ EFDV SRSO
have to remember too many linguistic
symbols or words. To overcome this
situation, people change the meaning of
RUV R P KPDQ FRPPQLFDLRQ
needs. The change in words’ meaning
FDQ RFFU LQ D QDUURLQJ RU SDQLQJ
scope, in which the tendency to expand
themeaningisthemostcommon.Oneof
KDVRSDQKPDQLQJRRUV
commonlyusedinlanguagesismetaphor.
In this article, the researcher
FRQFDVRPDSKRUVSUVV
KURJK K V R FRORUV LQ (QJOLVK DQ
Vietnameseidioms.
7K PDLQ SUSRV R KLV DULFO LV
R UPLQ K OLQJLVLF DQ FOUDO
DUV R PDSKRUV LQ (QJOLVK DQ
Vietnamese idioms relating to colours.
Theresearchresultswillbecomevaluable
referencesourcesforEnglishlearners.
,,/LWHUDWUHUHYLH
2.1.Overviewofpreviousstudies
Many researchers have studied
idioms related to colors. Truong Thi

Suong Mai (2012) highlighted the
UODLRQVKLSEQODQJDJDQFOU
in her graduation paper,“Characteristics
R 9LQDPV ODQJDJ DQ FOU
through idioms and proverbs indicating
colours(comparedwithEnglish).”Inher
opinion, Vietnamese and English were
dierentduetoculturaldierences.
Grodska, Machulianska, and
Shapa, inthearticle“Cultural-Linguistic
VSFR7DFKLQJDQDUQLQJ6SDQLVK
Colour Idioms and Symbols,” indicated
the eectiveness of acquiring foreign
ODQJDJ VNLOOV LQ K QL R ODQJDJ
andculture.Theygotstudy resultsfrom
K SULR RDFKLQJ 6SDQLVK LLRPVR
rst-andsecond-yearstudentsatOdessa
National Polytechnic University in the
schoolyear2018-2019.
Gaipova,ontheotherside,triedto
gureouttheinuenceofundergraduate
VQV FRORU SUFSLRQV RQ KLU
translationfromEnglishintoKurdish.The
V UVOV VKR KD QUJUDD
students faced many diculties in
UDQVODLQJLLRPVUODLQJRFRORUVR
theirlackofculturalbackground.
Hamilton (2016) and Thinard
(2019) conducted research on colors
and metaphors. Thinard focused on
studying metaphors of several colors,
such as “black,” “grey,” and “white,”
while Hamilton conducted a study on
metaphors of more colors. However, no
VLV FRPSDU PDSKRUV OLQJLVLF
DQ FOUDO DUV LQ (QJOLVK DQ
Vietnameseidioms.Thus,thisstudyhelps
toaddressthestudygap.
:KDWLVDQLLRP
Christine Ammer (1997) states,
“AnLLRPLVDVSKUDVRRRUPRU
words that means something dierent
fromtheliteralmeaningoftheindividual
RUV.”[2].
In Vietnamese, idioms are dened
by Hoang Phe (2003, p. 915) as “a
xed set of words that are commonly
used, whose meaning cannot usually be
VLPSOSODLQEKPDQLQJVRK
wordsthatmakeitup.”[7]Accordingto
ProfessorNguyenLan(2010),“idiomsare
LOVLQVSRNQODQJDJDVOODV
LQKFUDLRQR9LQDPV SRUDQ
literature.Idiomsareconcise,suggestive,
andhavehighexpressiveness.”[14]
In summary, idioms in English
andVietnamesearebasedontheoverall
meaningofthewords.
2.3.Whatisametaphor?
Metaphorisawayofchangingthe
PDQLQJ R RUV E DNLQJ K QDP
R RQ KLQJ RU SKQRPQRQ R UU R
DQRKU KLQJ RU SKQRPQRQ EDV RQ
K VLPLODUL R D FUDLQ FKDUDFULVLF
betweenthosetwothingsorphenomena.
Metaphors are also called implicit
comparisonsasin“KPDQLHLVMRQH”.
In theGDQHG /HDQHV(QLVK
GLWLRQD, metaphor is dened as an
imaginativewayofdescribingsomething
EUUULQJRVRPKLQJ OVKDLV K
sameinaparticularway.[1,p.901]
In the 9LHWQDPHVH LWLRQD,
metaphor is dened as theuse of words
based on implicit comparison. [7]. Huu
Dat (2011) shares the same idea when
K UJDUV PDSKRU DV D PKR R
FRPSDULVRQ KD VV K QDPV R RQ
SRQDPKLQJVRDQRKUSEDV
onthesimilarrelationshipbetweenthem.
Accordingtotheauthor,peoplealsocall
metaphoranimplicitcomparison,aone-
sidedcomparison.[8,p.372]Forexample,
“KH KDV D RRG KHDG RQ KHVKRGH.”
means“KHLVDQLQWHLHQWL.”.

Nguyen Duc Ton (2002) denes
PDSKRU DVKVEVLLRQ RQDPVR
things,phenomena,etc.,thatdonotbelong
to the same type based on association,
LQLLQJ KP DFFRULQJ R FUDLQ
FKDUDFULVLFV DQ DULEV LVLQJ LQ
them.[13]
Intheexample“thelegofthetable”
and“WKH WHHWK R DVD,”themetaphoric
UDQVRUPDLRQ LV EDV RQ VLPLODUL R
shape.
The above authors all agree that
metaphorisasubstitution,usingthename
R RQ KLQJ RU SKQRPQRQ R UU R
another object, thing, or phenomenon
basedonsimilarity.
Metaphors are often created based
RQVLPLODUFKDUDFULVLFV
LSSHDDQHVKDSH
E.g. a head of cabbage, a hand of
bananas.
(ii).Size
E.g.jumbojetplane
LLL/RDWLRQ
E.g.footofthemountain,bottomof
DSDJ
L&RR
E.g.Orange,bananacolor...
(v).Function
E.g.keytosuccess
(vi).Behaviour,manners
E.g.crocodile’stears,anangel
LLKHWDQVLWLRQRPRQHWHWR
abstract
E.g. Kernel is a specic word,
referring to the inner part of thefruit, it
isconvertedtodenotingthecentral,most
important part of the matter; Grasping
denotes a specic movement of the
hand,butitcanalsobesaid:graspingthe
situation,graspingthecards...
(viii).Attributes,qualities,quality
E.g. The adjective “khô” (dry)
RULJLQDOOPDQVOLORUQRDUEKDV
K FRPELQDLRQ tnh cảm kh khan (no
HPRWLRQ
2.4.TheConceptofCulture
7KUKDVEQPFKUVDUFKRUN
on culture up to now. These studies all
begin by providing denitions of what
culture is. According to Nguyen Nhu
Y, “Culture is the material and spiritual
values created by humans throughout
history.”[15]
In theGDQHG /HDQHV (QLVK
GLWLRQD,“Cultureconsistsofactivities
such as the arts and philosophy, which
LV FRQVLU R E LPSRUDQ R K
development ofcivilization andpeople’s
mind.”[1,342]
Generally, culture involves
activitiesthatarespirituallyandmaterially
importanttohumansandsociety.
2.5. The relationship between
FOWHDQODQDH
DQJDJ DQ FOU DU FORVO
interconnectedandinseparable.Language
istheessenceofnationalculture,anditis
throughlanguagethatcultureistransmitted.
Thechangesanddevelopmentoflanguage
alwaysaccompanythechangesinculture.
FFRULQJ R OLQJLV 1JQ F 7RQ
(2008, p.47), “Language is an essential
meansandaconditionfortheemergence,
development, and functioning of other
elements of culture. Language is one of
K PRV FKDUDFULVLF OPQV R DQ
nationalculture.Itiswithinlanguagethat

KFKDUDFULVLFVRDQDLRQDOFOUDU
most clearly preserved. The life of each
community,each nationinaspecicera
LOOUPLQKFRQQRKODQJDJ
of that era.” In summary, language and
culturearecloselyintertwined.Generally,
K LVQF R D FOU LV UPLQ
by language, but language itself is an
independentelementofnationalculture,a
componentofculturalidentity.
,,,0HWRGRORJ
5HVHDFK0HWKRV
The comparative method is used
throughout this study to nd similarities
and dierences between metaphors in
(QJOLVKDQ9LQDPVLLRPVUODR
colorsintermsoflinguisticsandculture.
However,thewritermustconductstatistics
DQVFULELLRPVKDFRQDLQFRORUVLQ
KLFLRQDUR(QJOLVKDQ9LQDPV
IdiomsandProverbs.
In addition, to clarify the nature
R K UVDUFK REF DQ R QVU K
validity of the statistics collected, the
ULU DOVR VV PDQ RKU VSSRULQJ
research methods such as quantitatives,
qualitatives,semanticanalysis,etc.along
withchartsandtables.
DWDROOHFWLRQ
(QJOLVK DQ 9LQDPV LLRPV
UOD R FRORUV DU FROOF URP
KU PDLQ LFLRQDULV KH PHLDQ
HeritageDictionaryofIdioms,theOxford
Dictionaryof Idioms,DQ K 9LHWQDPHVH
Idiom and Proverb Dictionary. In total,
(QJOLVKDQ9LQDPVLLRPVUOD
to 10 colors, black, blue, brown, green,
HRGHQSLQSSHHGDQGKLWH,
were collected.After that, the idiomsare
analyzedtondoutwhethertheirmeanings
aretransferredmetaphoricallyornot.
,9)LQGLQJVDQGLVFVVLRQ
)LQLQV
7K V UVOV R (QJOLVK DQ
9LQDPV FRORU LLRPV FROOF URP
idiom dictionaries [2], [18] and the
VietnameseIdiomandProverbdictionary
[22]showasfollows:
4.1.1.Distribution
Table1:NumbersofidiomsinEnglishandVietnamese
&RORUV(QJOLVLGLRPV 9LHWQDPHVHLGLRPV
1PEHU 3HUFHQWDJH 1PEHU 3HUFHQWDJH
Black  16.66  27.06
Blue  18.75
Brown 5.21
Green  13.54  18.82
Grey 3.13
Golden 7.29 12.94
3LQN 6.25 3.53
3USO 5.21 2.35
5  16.67  28.24
White 7.29 7.06
7RWDO    

7K QPEU R LLRPV UOD R
FRORUVLQ(QJOLVKDQ9LQDPVLVVKRQ
inTable1,with96and85,respectively.
7K QPEU R (QJOLVK LLRPV
UODRbluewasthehighest,accounting
for 18.75%, while HG DSSDU DV K
PRV FRPPRQ LQ 9LQDPV LLRPV
(28.24%), approximately 10% higher
KDQ blue in English idioms. 5HG DQ
blackULQKVFRQDQKLUSODFV
in English idioms, with 16.67% and
16.66%,respectively.However,blackDQ
HHQUKVFRQDQKLUFRPPRQ
colors used in Vietnamese idioms. This
LV ROOR E HG DQ black LQ (QJOLVK
idioms,withgreenat13.54%,only0.6%
KLJKU KDQ RGHQ, which was fourth
placeinVietnameseidioms.Thenumber
R (QJOLVK LLRPV UOD R H DV
the lowest, with 3.13%. No Vietnamese
LLRPV UOD R grey, blue, and brown
werecollectedinthestudy.
Insummary,thefrequencyofcolorsin
(QJOLVKDQ9LQDPVLLRPVisdierent
 R K LPSDF R various cultural,
linguistic,and historical factorsthatshape
DFKODQJDJVPDSKRULFDODQVPEROLF
associations with colors. The reection
R FRORU SUFSLRQV DQ KLU VPEROLF
meaningsbetweenBritish andVietnamese
culturesvary.Forexample,inEnglish,HG
symbolizes passion, anger, or love (e.g.
“seeing red”), while in Vietnamese, HG
symbolizesluck,prosperity,andcelebration
(e.g.“redenvelope”forgivinggiftsonTet
holidayoratweddings).
DQVRPDWLRQRPHDQLQ
Wordmeaningchangesoccurinfour
common aspects: comparison, metaphor,
metonymy,andhyperbole.Inthisarticle,
the writer only surveys the phenomenon
R K PDSKRULFDO UDQVU R PDQLQJ
RRUVUODRFRORUVLQ(QJOLVKDQ
Vietnameseidioms.
Table2:MetaphorsinEnglishandVietnameseidioms
&RORUV (QJOLVLGLRPV 9LHWQDPHVHLGLRPV
0HWDSRU 3HUFHQWDJH 0HWDSRU 3HUFHQWDJH
Black  18.39  52.38
Blue  20.68
Brown 5.75
Green  11.49 4.76
Grey 3.45
Golden 5.75 9.52
3LQN 6.9 2.38
3USO 5.75 4.76
5  14.94 11.9
White 6.9 14.3
7RWDO    
Table2providesinformationabout
K QPEUR PDSKRUV LQ(QJOLVKDQ
Vietnamese idioms related to colors.
Generally, metaphors using colors in
(QJOLVK LLRPV U PFK KLJKU KDQ
thoseinVietnameseidioms.7K QPEU
R PDSKRUV LQ (QJOLVK LLRPV UOD
R blue, black, DQ HG DV LQ K RS
threewith20.68%,18.39%,and14.94%
respectively. In Vietnamese idioms,
however, metaphors using black, white,
DQ HG were the highest, with 52.38%,
14.3%,DQ11.9%,respectively.Metaphors
UOD R H LQ (QJOLVK LLRPV U