PART ONE
SOME OUTLINES ON THE VIETNAMESE PROVERB
I - The differences between proverbs and idioms
Proverbs are a section of folklore. Each of them can be considered as a “complete work of literature”. They are not a section of language as idioms .
A proverb is a complete sentence expressing an idea of comment, of experience, of morality, of justice or of criticism drawn from the human life.
To bring out a comment on the natural phenomena, there are the following proverbs:
- Trời nắng chóng trưa, trời mưa chóng tối
(Noon arrives soon when it’s sunny, night falls quickly when it’s rainy)
- Trăng quầng thì hạn, trăng tán thì mưa
(When the moon is surrounded by a circle, it will be sunny; when the moon is surrounded by a halo, it will be rainy)
- Đêm tháng Năm chưa nằm đã sáng, ngày tháng Mười chưa cười đã tối
(In May, one has hardly gone to bed when the day breaks; in October, one hardly has laughed when it gets dark
etc...
To remark on the social phenomena, there are the following proverbs:
- Cha mẹ sinh con, trời sinh tính
( His body was born by his parents but his nature was born in Heaven )
- Sống mỗi người một nết, chết mỗi người một tật
(Everyone has his own manner in living and gets his own disease for dying)
- Có tật, giật mình
(He who commits faults often gets startled )
etc...
To set out exprerience of labour, there are the following proverbs :
- Một lượt tát, một bát cơm
(A time of watering is a bowl of rice)
- Ruộng không phân như thân không của
(A field without manure is like a man without property)
- Đất nỏ, giỏ phân
(A clod of dry soil equals a basket of manure)
etc...
To draw out experience of living, there are the following proverbs:
- Già néo, đứt dây
(A tight fastening breaks the string)
- Chơi chó, chó liếm mặt
(The dog will lick your face when you play with it)
- Gần mực thì đen, gần đèn thì rạng
(His staying near the ink makes him black and his staying near the light makes him bright)
etc...
There are proverbs hightening morals such as:
- Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây
(He who eats the fruit recalls the grower of its tree )
- Uống nước, nhớ nguồn
(He who drinks the water recalls its source )
- Chết trong còn hơn sống đục
(Better die purely than live muddily)
- Đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm
(Be honest even in hunger and clean in rags)
etc...
Or the proverbs extolling justice such as:
- ác giả, ác báo
(He who makes evils will meet devils )
- Trời quả báo, ăn cháo gẫy răng
(He who is to be punished by God will have a tooth broken even when eating rice gruel)
- Tham thì thâm
(Greed brings losses )
To give advice, there are the following proverbs :
- Chẳng phải dạy đĩ vén váy
(Never teach a prostitute to curl up her skirt )
- Đừng nên vạch áo cho người xem lưng
(Don’t put off your shirt to show your back )
- Tránh voi chẳng xấu mặt nào
(Don’t feel ashamed of avoiding an elephant)
To hint at mockery or criticism, there are the following proverbs:
- Miệng nam mô, bụng bồ dao găm
(His mouth is full of prayers but his belly is full of daggers)
- Ăn trộm ăn cướp thành phật thành tiên, đi chùa đi chiền bán thân bất toại
(Thieves become Buddhas whereas devotees get hemiplegia)
- Gái đĩ già mồm
(Prostitutes are often talkative)
etc...
Being a “complete work of literature“, a proverb possesses all the fundamental functions of literature such as the function of apprehension; the function of aesthetics and the function of education .
For instance, in the proverb “Muốn ăn hét phải đào giun“ (He who wants to eat thrushes, goes to dig up worms), its function of apprehension is that those who want to eat have to work, and its function of education is that one has happiness with his own labour only. To express the above-said truth, the following metaphorical images have been used : “Thrushes” hints at happiness that one longs for, and “to dig up worms” hints at the labour one should produce. It is the function of aesthetics by which readers or hearers can feel the truth concretly and clearly.
Different from proverbs, idioms are not a section of folklore but a section of language. An idiom itself cannot express an idea completely so it equals a word only. For example:
- Ăn trắng, mặc trơn = nhàn hạ
(To eat white rice and wear fine clothing = to live in luxury)
- áo rách, quần manh= nghèo nàn, rách rưới
(To be in a torn shirt and thin trousers = to be in rags)
- Gần đất, xa trời = sắp chết
(To be close to the ground and far from the sky = to be going to die)
- Dốt đặc cán mai =cực dốt
(To be thick-headed as a spade handle=to be very stupid )
etc...
We may say idioms are just rhetorical phrases and they often contain images. They are used to replace ordinary words so that the expression effect of the sentences can be strengthened.
Therefore, idioms don’t possess the functions of apprehension and education but only the function of aesthetics. They never contain any comments, experiences, lessons and never hint at any criticism, either.
II - The characteristics of the Vietnamese proverb
1- In the form
a - Most of the Vietnamese proverbs hold a rhyme. The means of making rhymes in them are plentiful. The rhymes are likely close to each other such as in the following proverbs:
- Bút sa, gà chết
- Có tật, giật mình
- Lời chào cao hơn mâm cỗ
etc...
The rhymes may stand far from each orther. There is likely a word between them such as in the following proverbs:
- May tay hơn hay thuốc
- Lửa đã đỏ lại bỏ thêm rơm
- Lấy vợ xem tông, lấy chồng xem giống
etc...
There are likely two words between them such as in the following proverbs:
- Một miếng khi đói bằng một gói khi no
- Đánh đĩ chín phương, để một phương lấy chồng
- Không có cá, lấy rau má làm ngon
etc...
There are likely three words between them such as in the following proverbs:
- Nhất tự vi sư, bán tự vi sư
- Việc người thì sáng, việc mình thì quáng
- Tiếng lành đồn xa, tiếng dữ đồn xa
etc...
There seldom are some of the Vietnamese proverbs without rhyme but they are rhythmical to please hearers’ ears such as the following proverbs:
- No nên bụt / đói ra ma
(“bụt” is an uneven tone but “ma” is an even tone )
- Gà què / ăn quẩn / cối xay
(“què” and “xay” are even tones but “quẩn” is an uneven tone )
- Ba bè/ bảy bối
(“bè” is an even tone but “bối” is an uneven tone)
etc ...
b - In many cases, it is difficult to distinguish a proverb from an idiom for their resemblance.
For instance,the proverb “Thực túc, binh cường” (noun + adjective, noun + adjective) and the idiom “Nhà rách, vách nát” (noun + adjective, noun + adjective) are absolutely alike in structure. To determine them, one should apprehend their meanings.
The former can be analysed as follows: “thực túc” (the food is plentiful) -> “binh cường” (the army is powerful). In this causal relation (part one is the cause and part two is the consequence), the former expresses an experience that the first and very important factor to strengthen an army is to care for its material basic. Therefore, it is a proverb.
As to the latter, it possesses no causal relation for “nhà rách “ (the house is ruined) is not the cause of “vách nát” (the walls are cracked). The relation between them is just homogeneous: “nhà rách” equals “vách nát” and they together show a certain family’s decline and poverty. Therefore, it is an idiom.
In some cases, to our mind, an expression can posses two different meanings; thus, it is a proverb with one meaning and as well as an idiom with the other meaning.
For example:
- Bụng đói, cật rét
- Trong ấm, ngoài êm
If apprehended in the causal relation, they can be considered as two proverbs for the former expresses the remark that in winter, hunger (bụng đói - the empty stomatch) makes a man feel colder than usual (cật rét - the frozen back); and the latter shows out the experience that the internal unity (trong ấm - warm inside) will confirm the external stability (ngoài êm - calm outside)
On the other hand, if apprehended in the homogeneous relation, they can be considered as two idioms for now the former just expresses someone’s miserable status, and the latter just expresses a certain family’s (or country’s) stable situation.
2- In the content
a - Vietnamese proverbs fiercely attack feudalism
To the oppressing class represented by kings, mandarins, landlords, spiritual power... , the Vietnamese proverb - together with other forms of folklore - strongly attacks their bad manners and defects such as greed, cruelty, falsity and mincing manners etc...
For example:
- Cửa vào quan như than vào lò
- Quan thấy kiện như kiến thấy mỡ
- Miệng quan, trôn trẻ
- Muốn nói gian làm quan mà nói
- Có độc mới có, có phũ như chó mới giàu
- Miệng nam mô, bụng bồ dao găm
- Bà chúa đứt tay bằng ăn mày xổ ruột
etc...
b - Vietnamese proverbs are full of humor and satire :
While other nations’ proverbs - English ones, for instance - are known of their seriousness and reasonableness, Vietnamese proverbs - on the contrary - are well - known by their humour and satire. This feature shows clearly the Vietnamese peasants’ intelligence and sense of humour.
For example:
- Chẳng phải dạy đĩ vén váy
- Thứ nhất quận công, thứ nhì không khố
- Lắm mối, tối nằm không
etc...
c - Vietnamese proverbs are rich of humaneness:
The Vietnamese people’s virtues are gentleness, kind-heartedness, faithfulness, love of peace and mercy on one another in misfortune. These features are clearly described in their literature generally and in their proverb
treasure particularly.
For example:
- Thân cò cũng như thân chim
- Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước lã
- Anh em như thể chân tay
- Yêu nhau, chín bỏ làm mười
- Lá lành đùm lá rách
- Một lời nói, một đọi máu
- Bán anh em xa mua láng giềng gần
- Một con ngựa đau, cả tàu không ăn cỏ
etc...
d - The Vietnamese national colour as an agricultural population is clearly shown by a great number of proverbs dealing with labour expriences ( that can’t be contained in
the book ) and through the following social ones:
- Gà què ăn quẩn cối xay
- Một tiền gà, ba tiền thóc
- Ăn bát cơm dẻo, nhớ nẻo đường đi
- Sai con toán, bán con trâu
etc...
Some Vietnamese proverbs are remarks and comments on the specialities of areas, products or local inhabitants (that can’t be contained in the book) as the followings:
- Bánh dầy nếp cái, con gái họ Ngô (1)
( Rice pies should be made of the big-grained glutinous rice and women should be from the Ngo clan )
- Chè Vân Thái, gái Tiên Lữ (2)
(Tea should be Van Thai’s and women should be Tien Lu’s)
- Trai Cầu Vồng Yên Thế, gái Nội Duệ Cầu Lim (3)
(Men should be those from Cau Vong, Yen The and women should be those from Cau Lim, Noi Due)
- Dốt Đông Ngàn bằng người ngoan thiên hạ (1)
(Dong Ngan’s fools are still as clever as the wise in other areas)
- Thứ nhất kinh kì, thứ nhì Phố Hiến (2)
(The capital is the first and Pho Hien is the second)
III - Conclusion
Every nation’s proverbs on the world have a certain number of general features. Yet, for different nations have different mental habits; and besides, all the languages on the world are not the same, every nation’s proverbs have their own characteristics
Hereinbefore we have simply set out the main characteristics of the Vietnamese proverb so that the foreigners who are studying the Vietnamese language or folklore are able to obtain a rough knowledge of them as a preliminary basic for their further study. At the same time, we also hope that the book will give a little help to the Vietnamese students who are making a thorough study of their nation’s folklore and their mother tongue.
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