APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Appendix A: Idioms about Human Feelings
I/ Love:
English idioms
Absence makes the heart grow
fonder
A woman/ man after one’s own
heart
Be close / near / dear to sb's
heart
Come straight from the heart
From the bottom of my heart
Have eyes only for sb / Only
have eyes for sb
Have got it bad
Head over heel (in love)
In one's heart of hearts
Meanings
Used to say that when you are
away from sb you love, you love
them more
A person you particularly like
because he has the same
interests as you
Be a person or thing that sb is
very fond of
Truly love sb
Only love sb
Be very much in love
Completely in love
In your deepest feelings /
thoughts
37
Vietnamese idioms
Giaän thì maéng, laëng thì
thöông
Ngöôøi ñaøn oâng / phuï nöõ
cuûa loøng toâi
Say nhö ñieáu ñoå / cheát meâ
cheát meät / meâ tít thoø loø
Töø taän ñaùy loøng
Ñeå maét tôùi ai ñoù
Yeâu caây neân daáu ñeán hoa
Yeâu ñieân ñaûo
Töø taän ñaùy loøng / saâu
thaúm trong tim
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS 38

Yeâu nhau say ñaém / thaàm

Like sb very much in a romantic
Sweet on someone thöông troäm nhôù / yeâu
way
thaàm daáu buïng
A person, usually a child, who sb
The apple of one's eye Cuïc cöng cuûa toâi
love very much
The way to make sb like or love
The way to sb's heart Ñöôøng vaøo con tim
you
Used for emphasizing how
With all your heart Vôùi taát caû taám loøng
strongly you feel about sth

II/ Happy:

English idioms Meanings Vietnamese idioms

A barrel / a bundle of laughs Very amusing, a lot of fun Vui noå trôøi
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS 39

As cheerful as the birds Very happy Vui nhö saùo

As eager as a bridegroom
As gay as a lark
As glad as a fly
As happy as a child
As happy as a clam
As happy as a king Vui nhö hoäi
Extremely happy
As happy as Larry Vui nhö teát
As happy as the day is long
As jolly as a shoe brush
As merry as a cricket
As please as Punch

Be generous, cheerful and

Be a good sport pleasant, especially in a Laïc quan yeâu ñôøi
difficult situation
Be a person or thing that you
Be a sight for sore eyes Ñeïp loùa maét
are happy to see
Be all smiles Be very happy and smiling, Nôû gan nôû ruoät
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Be grateful / thankful for small
mercies
Be in / Go into raptures about /
over sb / sth
Be in high spirits
In the heat of the moment
To be bitten by the bug
Beam / Grin / Smile from ear to
ear
Blow sb's mind
Bright - eyed and bushy tailed
Do sb's heart good
Feel like a million dollars
Float / walk on air
In seventh heaven
On cloud nine
Get a kick from / out of sth
40
especially after feeling sad or
worried about sth
Be happy that a bad situation is
Nhö cheát ñi soáng laïi
not even worse
Be extremely enthusiastic
about sb/ sth you like
Be happy and cheerful Ñang cao höùng
Be smiling a lot because you
Ngoaùc mieäng tôùi mang tai
are very pleased about sth
Make you / sb feel extreme
Nôû töøng khuùc ruoät
pleasure
Lively and cheerful, pleased
Maët maøy töôi roùi
and proud
Make sb feel happy, more
cheerful, hopeful
Feel / look very good Vui nhö traêng raèm
Very happy Nhö ôû treân maây
Nhö ôû treân maây
Be very happy about sth
Treân chín taàng maây
Get a feeling of excitement, Hoà hôûi phaán khôûi
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Glad to see the back of sb
Grin like a Cheshire cat
Have a time of your life
Have a whale of time
Have stars in your eyes
In the clover
In transports of joy / delight
Keep sb amused
Kick up your heels
Laugh like drain
Laugh up your sleeve at sb /
41
enjoyment out of sth
Happy when you no longer
have to deal with sb / sth
Nhö truùt ñöôïc gaùnh naëng
because they are annoying or
unpleasant
Smile widely in a foolish or self-
Cöôøi nhaên nhôû
satisfied way
Enjoy yourself, be very happy
Vui loøng haû daï
or excited
Happy and excited about future
because you believe that you Maët töôi nhö hoa
will be successful and famous
Live happily and comfortably in
Söôùng nhö tieân
prosperity and success
Feeling very great joy Môû côø trong buïng
Give sb interesting things to do
or entertain them so that they Mua vui cho thieân haï
do not become bored
Be relaxed and enjoy yourself
Laugh very loudly Cöôøi nhö saám / cöôøi nhö phaù
Be secretly amused by sth Cöôøi thaàm trong buïng
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
sth
Laugh your head off
Like the cat that got / stole the
cream
On the edge of your seat
On the top of the world
Over the moon
Split your sides laughing / with
laughter
The more the merrier
To be like a dog with two tails
To be mad / keen on sth
Whoop it up
42
Laugh very loudly and for a Cöôøi laên cöôøi boø / cöôøi
long time noân ruoät
Very pleased or satisfied with
Nhö baét ñöôïc vaøng
yourself
Very excited and giving your
full attention to
Very happy or proud Maùt ruoät maùt gan
Very happy and excited Maët töôi hôn hôùn
Laugh a lot, laugh loudly Cöôøi nhö naéc neû
The more people or things
there are, the better the
Caøng ñoâng caøng vui
situation will be or the more fun
people will have
Be extremely happy Möøng nhö cha cheát soáng laïi
Be very interested in or
Söôùng quaù hoaù roà
enthusiastic about sth / sb
1/ Enjoy yourself very much
with a group of noisy people
2/ Make people excited or
enthusiastic about sth
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
With open arms
Your heart leaps
iii/ sadness:
English idioms
As cheerless as the grave
As sad as night
Be drown in tears
Be in the blue
Break one's heart
Crocodile tears (insincere
sadness)
Cry your eyes out
Extremely happy to see sb
Have a sudden feeling of
happiness or excitement
Meanings
Very sad
Be depressed
Make sb feel extremely
unhappy
An insincere show of sadness
Cry a lot and for a long time
43
Tay baét maët möøng
Khaáp khôûi möøng thaàm
Vietnamese idioms
Buoàn nhö ñöa ñaùm / buoàn
nhö chaáu caén/ buoàn nhö cha
cheát
Gioït chaâu laõ chaõ / nöôùc
maét tuoân traøo
Buoàn xo buoàn ruïi
Tan vôõ traùi tim
Nöôùc maét caù saáu
Khoùc heát nöôùc maét / khoùc
nhö ri / khoùc nhö con gaùi veà
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Cut to the quick
Down in the dumps
Down in the mouth
Drown one's sorrows
Have one's head in one's boots
Long face
Lose heart
Sob your heart out
That Monday morning feeling
With a heavy / sinking heart
Your heart sink
44
nhaø choàng
Deeply hurt in one’s feelings Ruoät ñau nhö caét
Maët maøy uû eâ / æu xìu nhö
Feeling unhappy or without
baùnh ña nhuùng nöôùc / æu xìu
hope
nhö baùnh bao chieàu
Mieäng meùo xeäch
People drink a lot to forget their
Ñaém chìm trong ñau khoå
pain, problems or unhappiness
Be dispirited, deeply
depressed, timorously anxious Maët maøy uû doät
about sth
Maët chaûy daøi
Tiu ngæu nhö meøo bò caét tai /
Become discouraged
tiu ngæu nhö choù cuïp ñuoâi
Cry noisily for a long time
Khoùc ñöùng khoùc ngoài
because you are very sad
A feeling of being depressed
because you have to start a Löø ñöø nhö oâng Töø giöõ ñeàn
new week back at work
With a feeling of sadness or
Maët naëng nhö ñaù ñeo
fear
Used to say that you suddenly Maët naëng nhö chì
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS 45

feel sad or depressed

Iv/ hatred:

English idioms Meanings Vietnamese idioms

Avoid sb / sth like the plague
Avoid sb / sth completely Traùnh nhö traùnh huûi
Keep somebody at arm's length
Can't stand the sight / sound of Dislike or hate to (see / hear)
Gheùt cay gheùt ñaéng
sb / sth sb / sth
Hate sb like poison Extremely hate sb Gheùt ngon gheùt ngoït
Gheùt nhau nhö choù vôùi meøo
Hate sb's guts
Dislike sb very much / nhö maët traêng vôùi maët
Hate the sight of sb / sth
trôøi / nhö nöôùc vôùi löûa
Dislike and have no respect for
Have no time for sb / sth Caêm thuø tôùi taän xöông tuûy
sb /sth
Have no use for sb / sth Strongly dislike sb /sth Khoâng ñoäi trôøi chung
There’s no love lost between A
Two people dislike each other Gheùt ñaøo ñaát ñoå ñi
and B
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
V/ anger:
English idioms
A black look
Add fuel to the fire / flames
As angry as a wasp
As red as a beetroot
As red as a turkey - cock
At each other throats
Bad / ill feelings
Be / Get steamed up
Be a thorn in your flesh / side
46
Meanings Vietnamese idioms
An angry or disapproving
AÙnh maét hình vieân ñaïn
expression on sb’s face
Do or say sth which makes sb
Ñoå theâm daàu vaøo löûa
even more angry
Noùng nhö Tröông Phi / maët
Very angry ñoû nhö gaác/ maët ñoû nhö gaø
choïi / maët ñoû nhö vang
Angrily fighting or arguing with
Muoán aên töôi nuoát soáng
each other
Anger between people, especially
after an argument or Töùc anh aùch
disagreement
Noåi côn tam baønh
Be a person or thing that
repeatedly annoys you or stops Caùi gai trong maét
you doing sth
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Be hopping mad
Be in a foul mood
Be on sb' s back
Give sb grief about / over sth
Be on the warpath
Be out of your mind
Become red in the face
Bite a person's head off
Jump down one's throat
Blow your top / Blow your
stack
Fly into a rage / temper
Fly into a tantrum
Fly off handle
Have / throw a tantrum / See
red
Cross as two sticks
Cut sb dead
Do a slow burn
Extremely angry
Annoy or criticize sb a lot
Be angry and ready for an
argument or a fight about sth
Be / go crazy
Speak to sb angrily without a
good reason
Suddenly become angry
Annoyed, irritated, petulant
Pretend not to see sb or not to
greet sb to show your anger
Slowly get angry
47
Baàm gan soâi maùu
Maéng vuoát maët khoâng kòp
Noùng nhö löûa ñoát
Giaän maát khoân
Ñoû maët tía tai
Noåi traän loâi ñình
Noåi maùu xung thieân / noåi
côn tam baønh/ giaän ñoû maët
/ ñoû maët tía tai
Maët naëng maøy chì
Maët laïnh nhö tieàn
Giaän soâi maùu leân
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Do sb 's head in
Drive sb up the wall
Feel out of sorts
Flip your lid
Foam at the mouth
For crying out loud
Hell's teeth
Get a person' s back up
Give somebody / Get the
hump
Get in sb' s hair
Get on your high horse
Get one's goat
Get out of bed on the wrong
side / Get up on the wrong
side of the bed
Get steamed up (about sth)
48
Make sb feel confused, upset, and
Choïc oå kieán löûa
/ or annoyed
Make sb very annoyed, drive sb
Töùc nöôùc vôõ bôø
crazy
Feel ill or bad tempered Nhaên nhö maët hoå phuø
Become very angry Töùc loän ruoät
Giaän suøi boït meùp
Used to express anger or
Maém mieäng day tay
frustration
Moù daùi ngöïa / treâu ong choïc
Make sb annoyed
raén
Annoy sb by preventing them
Kyø ñaø caûn muõi
from doing sth
Be annoyed because you think
that sb has not treated you with Baàm gan tím ruoät
enough respect
Annoy sb very much Töùc loän ruoät
Be bad – tempered from the
Töùc ñaày gan ñaày ruoät
moment you get up
Become very angry or excited Soâi gan noåi maät
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Give sb hell
Gnash your teeth
Show one’s teeth
Go ape
Go ballistic
Go bananas / Have a pink /
blue fit
Go off deep end
Have / throw a fit
Have a cow
Have a short temper
Have sb' s guts for garters
Here we go again
49
about sth
Shout at / speak angrily to sb
Maéng cho taét beáp / taùt
because they have done sth
nöôùc vaøo maët
wrong
Feel very angry and upset about Nghieán raêng nghieán lôïi /
sth, especially because you nghieán raêng treøo treïo / nhe
cannot get what you want nanh giô vuoát
Become extremely angry or
Töùc nhö boø ñaù
excited
Become very angry Noåi maùu xung thieân
Get into a state of violent
Giaõy naûy nhö ñæa phaûi voâi
emotion of anger
Become very excited or angry Ñieân tieát leân
Suddenly become very excited or
Giaän ñieân ngöôøi
angry
Noùng tai noùng maët
Be very angry with sb and punish
them severely for sth they have Töùc traøo maùu hoïng
done
Used for showing you are angry Bieát roài khoå laém noùi maõi
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
His bark is worse than his
bite
His blood is up
Hit the roof / ceiling / Raise
the roof
Make sb's blood boil
Hot under the collar
In high dudgeon
Keep your hair on
Kick up / Make / Create /
Raise a stink about sth
Like a bear with a sore head
Like a red rag to a bull
Make sb' s hair curl
50
or annoyed that sth is starting to
happen again
Sb is not really as angry or unkind
as they seem
Suddenly become very angry Soâi maùu leân / noùng maùu
Angry or annoy Noùng gaùy
In an angry or offended mood Cau maët cau maøy
Used for telling sb who is angry or
very excited about sth to keep Haï hoûa
calm
Show that you are angry about a
situation, often by protesting in
public
Very bad – tempered Hung haêng con boï xít
Causing a person to be excitedly
Ñaèng ñaèng saùt khí
and violently angry
Shock or disturb sb Toùc tai döïng ngöôïc
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS 51

Giaän tím maët / baàm gan tím

Purple with rage
ruoät
Run high Be strong and angry or excited Töùc caønh hoâng
Send sb away / off with a flea
(Refuse sb’s request) angrily
in their ear
Leave a place without request or
Shake the dust from one's
with relief or generally in anger or
feet
disgust
Sick to your stomach Disgusted or angry Töùc nhö ñaám bò boâng
Smooth somebody's ruffled Make sb feel less angry or
Nuoát giaän laøm laønh
feathers offended
Show that you are very angry,
Spit blood venom Gaét nhö maém toâm
speak in an angry way
Feel offended about sth, perhaps
Take sth amiss because you understand in a
wrong way
Take sth to heart Be very offended by sb’s criticism Töùc oùi maùu
Tear one's hair Be very worried or angry Voø ñaàu böùt tai
The feathers / fur / sparks will
There will be anger, annoyance
fly
To hell with sb / sth Used to express anger or dislike Bieán ñi cho khuaát maét!
and to say that you no longer
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Turn in his / her grave
Up in arms about / over sth
Vi/ embarrassment:
English idioms
A burning shame
A crying shame
As shy as a fawn
As shy as a school girl
Become red in face
Die of embarrassment
Hang your head in / for shame
care about sb/ sth
Likely to be shock or angry
Very angry and protesting very
strongly
Meanings
Look or feel embarrassed or
52
Vietnamese idioms
Theïn ñoû maët
E leä theïn thuøng / e theïn nhö
con gaùi môùi veà nhaø choàng
Maët ñoû nhö gaác / maët ñoû
nhö gaø choïi
Xaáu hoå muoán cheát
Ngöôïng chín caû maët
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS 53

Put to shame ashamed

Khoâng bieát chui loã neû naøo /
Not know where to hide oneself chui ñaàu xuoáng ñaát / chæ
muoán ñoän thoå

Vii/ worry / afraid:

English idioms Meanings Vietnamese idioms

A fuss about nothing
A lot of anger or worry about sth Roái tinh roái muø / lo boø
Make a song and dance about
that is not important traéng raêng
sth
Sb is very shy and is easily
A shrinking violet Yeáu boùng vía
frightened
Run nhö caày saáy / taùi ngaét
As afraid as a grasshopper
nhö gaø caét tieát / maët xanh
As nervous as a cat
nhö chaøm ñoå / maët traéng
As nervous as a mouse
nhö thaèng cheát troâi / run
As pale as a ghost
nhö deõ
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Be / Feel like jelly
Be / Stand in awe of sb / sth
Be dead scared of sth
Be frightened / nervous /
scared of your own shadow
Be in a stew
Be on hot bricks
Like a cat on hot bricks
On pins and needles
Be scared / bored witless
Blue in the face
Drive sb out of their mind / wits
Fear has big eyes
Fear has quick ear
54
(of legs or knees) feel weak
because you are nervous or Nhuõn nhö con chi chi
frightened
Admire sb / sth and be slightly
Kính nhi vieãn chi
afraid of them / it
Sôï cheát khieáp
Be very easily frightened, be
Sôï huøm sôï caû cöùt huøm
very nervous
Be / become very nervous about
Maát aên maát nguû
sth
Tense, excited, nervous or
Nhö ngoài treân ñoáng löûa
restless
Be extremely frightened or
Kinh hoàn baït vía
bored
Sôï xanh maët / maët vaøng
nhö ngheä
Make sb crazy or very nervous or Giaäm giaät nhö choù thaùng
worried baûy
Thaàn hoàn naùt thaàn tính
Chim phaûi sôï caønh caây
cong / phaûi moät caùi, raùi
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
Frighten / Scare the life out of
sb
Get / Have the jitters
Get / Have butterflies in your
stomach
Go hot and cold all over
Have ants in your pants
Have cold feet
Have kittens
55
ñeán giaø
Frighten sb very much Sôï khieáp ñaûm
Feel anxious and nervous,
especially before an important
Nhö ngoài phaûi coïc
event or before having to do sth
difficult
Get / have nervous feeling in Kieán boø trong buïng / ruoät
your stomach before doing sth roái nhö tô voø
Suddenly feel very worried,
upset or frightened when you Laïnh caû ngöôøi
remember sth very unpleasant
Be unable to stay still because
Ñöùng ngoài khoâng yeân /
you are anxious or excited about
noùng ruoät soát loøng
sth
No longer want to continue what
you intended or have started
ÔÙn xöông söôøn
because you are nervous or
afraid
Be nervous and anxious, AÊn khoâng ngon, nguû khoâng
especially when you are waiting yeân / soát ruoät soát gan /
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS 56

for news of sth ruoät noùng nhö löûa

He is so timid that he can never
utter a word to assert himself on
He cannot say / cry Bo to a
any point however small and Nhaùt nhö thoû ñeá
goose
against anybody however
unformidable
Nervous, especially in a social
Ill at ease Sôï phaùt oám
situation
Very confused, worried or
In a (flat) spin Roái nhö canh heï
excited
In a blue funk Be depressed Maët xanh nhö ñít nhaùi
In a nervous, angry or excited Cuoáng leân nhö chuoät phaûi
In a lather
state khoùi
Make a quick, sudden movement
Nhaûy döïng leân / giaät baén
Jump out of your skin because sth has suddenly
ngöôøi / nhö giaãm phaûi löûa
frightened you
Cause sb a lot of trouble or
Lead sb a merry dance Lo cuoáng caø keâ
worry

Make one's flesh creep Make you feel afraid or full of Hoaûng kinh hoàn vía / hoàn
Make sb' s skin crawl disgust sieâu phaùch laïc
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS
On edge
Pale as death itself
Scare, annoy the hell out of sth
Scared / Frighten sb out of his
wits
Shake in one's boots
Stand in terror of sth
Stop sb in their tracks
Too close for comfort
With bated breath
Your hair stand on end
Your heart misses a beat
Your heart is in your mouth
Nervous, worried or anxious
Scare, annoy sb very much
Frighten sb very much
Afraid of sth
Suddenly make sb stop by
frightening or surprising them;
suddenly stop because sth has
frightened you
So near that you become afraid
or anxious
Hardly able to breath because
you are very anxious about sth
You feel very frightened, nervous Döïng toùc gaùy
You have a sudden feeling of
fear, excitement
You feel very anxious or afraid
57
Nhö phoûng nöôùc soâi
Maët xanh nhö taøu laù
Kinh taâm taùng ñôûm
Doïa cho hoàn vía leân maây
Sôï noåi gai oác / noåi da gaø
Ñöùng cheát traân / ñöùng
söõng nhö trôøi troàng / ñöùng
nhö bò choân chaân / ñöùng trô
nhö phoãng
Lo soát voù
Sôï ñöùng tim
Sôï maát maät
 APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS 58

vIii/ envy:

English idioms Meanings Vietnamese idioms

Ghen maët xanh maøy xaùm / ghen
Green eyed - monster Jealousy
loàng ghen loän
Con gaø töùc nhau tieáng gaùy /
Very jealous (wanting sth that sb
Green with envy ghen aên töùc ôû / ghen aên gheùt
else has)
uoáng
Try to have all the possession
and social achievements that
Keep up with the Joneses your neighbors or other people Khoâng chòu thua chò keùm em
around you have, especially by
buying what they buy
Traâu buoäc gheùt traâu aên / voâ
Pale with envy duyeân gheùt keû coù duyeân /
Sick with jealousy khoâng tieàn gheùt keû coù tieàn
caàm tay