Luận văn Thạc sĩ Ngôn ngữ học: Đối chiếu thành ngữ Hán – Việt có yếu tố chỉ ẩm thực

Idioms are an integral part of daily language, enriching communication with vitality and cultural depth. As fixed linguistic-cultural units, idioms reflect a nation's perceptions of the world, its ways of thinking, and its daily life. This study focuses on a particularly evocative subset: Hán-Việt idioms containing elements related to cuisine. While extensive research exists on idioms from various angles, a direct comparative analysis of Hán and Vietnamese idioms centered on culinary terms remains underexplored. This research aims to address this gap by comprehensively examining the structural and semantic similarities and differences, thereby offering valuable insights into the profound cultural imprints embedded within these idiomatic expressions.

Linguists, researchers in comparative linguistics (Hán-Việt), scholars of cultural studies, and students of Chinese and Vietnamese languages interested in idioms and their cultural implications.

This academic work undertakes a systematic comparative study of Hán and Vietnamese idioms featuring culinary elements, highlighting their significance as condensed expressions of cultural wisdom and societal experiences. The research employs a comprehensive methodology, including statistical analysis, descriptive linguistics, and analytical approaches, to meticulously examine 178 Hán idioms and 319 Vietnamese idioms related to food and drink, primarily sourced from specialized dictionaries. Structurally, the study reveals that both Hán and Vietnamese culinary idioms exhibit high degrees of symmetry and rhythmic harmony. A notable distinction is the predominant four-character structure in Hán idioms, contrasting with the over 60% prevalence of four-syllable forms in Vietnamese. Furthermore, Hán idioms frequently employ "định-trung" (nominal) structures, while Vietnamese equivalents lean towards "động ngữ" (verb-based) forms like "chủ-vị" and "động-bổ". A unique characteristic of Vietnamese idioms identified is the significant presence of comparative structures ("A như B"), which are largely absent in Hán idioms. Semantically, both sets of idioms profoundly reflect their respective national cultures. Vietnamese idioms are deeply rooted in the wet-rice civilization, frequently incorporating elements such as "cơm", "xôi", "nếp", "cháo", and "mắm" to convey daily life and agricultural wisdom. In contrast, Hán idioms, while also reflecting daily life, often carry nuances related to political and military contexts. The study meticulously analyzes how both languages utilize figurative and expressive meanings, illustrating distinct symbolic representations (e.g., "đào-lý" for students in Hán versus "nếp-tẻ" for children in Vietnamese). Despite these differences, shared semantic patterns emerge, attributable to historical interactions and common agricultural heritage. This research significantly contributes to comparative linguistics by deepening the understanding of how food-related idioms encapsulate and transmit cultural values, offering valuable insights for both linguists and language learners.