APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

37

Appendix A: Idioms about Human Feelings

I/ Love:
English idioms
Absence makes the heart grow
fonder
A woman/ man after ones own
heart

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

Vietnamese idioms
Gian th mang, lang th
thng
Ngi an ong / phu n
cua long toi

Be close / near / dear to sb's

interests as you
Be a person or thing that sb is

heart

very fond of

chet met / me tt tho lo

Truly love sb

T tan ay long

Only love sb

e mat ti ai o

Be very much in love

Completely in love
In your deepest feelings /

Yeu cay nen dau en hoa

Yeu ien ao
T tan ay long / sau

thoughts

tham trong tim

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

Say nh ieu o / chet me

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

Sweet on someone

The apple of one's eye

The way to sb's heart
With all your heart

Like sb very much in a romantic

way
A person, usually a child, who sb
love very much
The way to make sb like or love
you
Used for emphasizing how
strongly you feel about sth

Yeu nhau say am / tham

thng trom nh / yeu
tham dau bung
Cuc cng cua toi
ng vao con tim
Vi tat ca tam long

II/ Happy:
English idioms
A barrel / a bundle of laughs
As cheerful as the birds
As eager as a bridegroom

Meanings
Very amusing, a lot of fun
Very happy

38

Vietnamese idioms
Vui no tri
Vui nh sao

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

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
As happy as Larry

Extremely happy

Vui nh hoi
Vui nh tet

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

Be a sight for sore eyes

Be all smiles

pleasant, especially in a
difficult situation
Be a person or thing that you
are happy to see
Be very happy and smiling,
especially after feeling sad or
worried about sth

Lac quan yeu i

ep loa mat

N gan n ruot

39

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

Be grateful / thankful for small

Be happy that a bad situation is

mercies
Be in / Go into raptures about /

not even worse

Be extremely enthusiastic

over sb / sth
Be in high spirits

about sb/ sth you like

In the heat of the moment

Be happy and cheerful

To be bitten by the bug

Beam / Grin / Smile from ear to

Be smiling a lot because you

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
Glad to see the back of sb

are very pleased about sth

Make you / sb feel extreme
pleasure
Lively and cheerful, pleased
and proud
Make sb feel happy, more
cheerful, hopeful
Feel / look very good
Very happy
Be very happy about sth
Get a feeling of excitement,
enjoyment out of sth
Happy when you no longer

40

Nh chet i song lai

ang cao hng

Ngoac mieng ti mang tai

N tng khuc ruot
Mat may ti roi

Vui nh trang ram

Nh tren may
Nh tren may
Tren chn tang may
Ho hi phan khi
Nh trut c ganh nang

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

41

have to deal with sb / sth

because they are annoying or

Grin like a Cheshire cat

unpleasant
Smile widely in a foolish or selfsatisfied way

Have a time of your life

Enjoy yourself, be very happy

Have a whale of time

or excited

Ci nhan nh
Vui long ha da

Happy and excited about future

Have stars in your eyes

In the clover

because you believe that you

will be successful and famous
Live happily and comfortably in

Mat ti nh hoa

Sng nh tien

In transports of joy / delight

prosperity and success

Feeling very great joy
Give sb interesting things to do

Keep sb amused

or entertain them so that they

Mua vui cho thien ha

do not become bored

Be relaxed and enjoy yourself
Laugh very loudly

Ci nh sam / ci nh pha

Be secretly amused by sth

Ci tham trong bung

Laugh very loudly and for a

Ci lan ci bo / ci

Kick up your heels

Laugh like drain
Laugh up your sleeve at sb /
sth
Laugh your head of

M c trong bung

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

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

long time
Very pleased or satisfied with
yourself
Very excited and giving your

42

non ruot
Nh bat c vang

full attention to
Very happy or proud
Very happy and excited

Mat ruot mat gan

Mat ti hn hn

Laugh a lot, laugh loudly

Ci nh nac ne

The more people or things

The more the merrier

To be like a dog with two tails

To be mad / keen on sth

Whoop it up

With open arms

Your heart leaps

there are, the better the

situation will be or the more fun
people will have
Be extremely happy
Be very interested in or
enthusiastic about sth / sb
1/ Enjoy yourself very much

Cang ong cang vui

Mng nh cha chet song lai

Sng qua hoa ro

with a group of noisy people

2/ Make people excited or
enthusiastic about sth
Extremely happy to see sb
Have a sudden feeling of

Tay bat mat mng

Khap khi mng tham

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

43

happiness or excitement

iii/ sadness:
English idioms
As cheerless as the grave
As sad as night

Meanings
Very sad

Break one's heart

Crocodile tears (insincere
sadness)

nh chau can/ buon nh cha

chet
Giot chau la cha / nc

Be drown in tears
Be in the blue

Vietnamese idioms
Buon nh a am / buon

Be depressed
Make sb feel extremely
unhappy
An insincere show of sadness

mat tuon trao

Buon xo buon rui
Tan v trai tim
Nc mat ca sau
Khoc het nc mat / khoc

Cry your eyes out

Cut to the quick

Cry a lot and for a long time

nh ri / khoc nh con gai ve

Deeply hurt in ones feelings

nha chong
Ruot au nh cat

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

Down in the dumps

Feeling unhappy or without

hope

Down in the mouth

Drown one's sorrows

Have one's head in one's boots

People drink a lot to forget their

pain, problems or unhappiness
Be dispirited, deeply
depressed, timorously anxious

44

Mat may u e / u xu nh
banh a nhung nc / u xu
nh banh bao chieu
Mieng meo xech
am chm trong au kho

Mat may u dot

about sth
Long face
Lose heart
Sob your heart out

That Monday morning feeling

With a heavy / sinking heart

Your heart sink

Become discouraged
Cry noisily for a long time
because you are very sad
A feeling of being depressed
because you have to start a
new week back at work
With a feeling of sadness or
fear
Used to say that you suddenly
feel sad or depressed

Mat chay dai

Tiu ngu nh meo b cat tai /
tiu ngu nh cho cup uoi
Khoc ng khoc ngoi

L nh ong T gi en

Mat nang nh a eo
Mat nang nh ch

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

45

Iv/ hatred:
English idioms
Avoid sb / sth like the plague

Meanings

Avoid sb / sth completely

Keep somebody at arm's length
Can't stand the sight / sound of Dislike or hate to (see / hear)
sb / sth
Hate sb like poison
Hate sb's guts
Hate the sight of sb / sth
Have no time for sb / sth
Have no use for sb / sth
Theres no love lost between A
and B

sb / sth
Extremely hate sb

Vietnamese idioms
Tranh nh tranh hui
Ghet cay ghet ang
Ghet ngon ghet ngot
Ghet nhau nh cho vi

Dislike sb very much

meo / nh mat trang vi

mat tri / nh nc vi la

Dislike and have no respect for

sb /sth
Strongly dislike sb /sth
Two people dislike each other

Cam thu ti tan xng tuy

Khong oi tri chung
Ghet ao at o i

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

46

V/ anger:
English idioms
A black look
Add fuel to the fire / flames

Meanings
An angry or disapproving
expression on sbs face
Do or say sth which makes sb
even more angry

As angry as a wasp
As red as a beetroot

Bad / ill feelings

Anh mat hnh vien an

o them dau vao la
Nong nh Trng Phi / mat

Very angry

As red as a turkey - cock

At each other throats

Vietnamese idioms

o nh gac/ mat o nh ga
choi / mat o nh vang

Angrily fighting or arguing with

each other
Anger between people, especially
after an argument or

Muon an ti nuot song

Tc anh ach

disagreement
Be / Get steamed up

Noi cn tam banh

Be a person or thing that

Be a thorn in your flesh / side

repeatedly annoys you or stops

you doing sth

Cai gai trong mat

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 of
Jump down one's throat
Blow your top / Blow your

47

Extremely angry

Bam gan soi mau

Annoy or criticize sb a lot

Mang vuot mat khong kp

Be angry and ready for an

argument or a fight about sth
Be / go crazy
Speak to sb angrily without a
good reason

Nong nh la ot
Gian mat khon
o mat ta tai
Noi tran loi nh

stack
Fly into a rage / temper
Fly into a tantrum

Noi mau xung thien / noi

Suddenly become angry

Fly off handle

cn tam banh/ gian o

mat / o mat ta tai

Have / throw a tantrum / See

red
Cross as two sticks
Cut sb dead
Do a slow burn

Annoyed, irritated, petulant

Pretend not to see sb or not to
greet sb to show your anger
Slowly get angry

Mat nang may ch

Mat lanh nh tien
Gian soi mau len

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

Make sb feel confused, upset, and

/ or annoyed
Make sb very annoyed, drive sb
crazy
Feel ill or bad tempered
Become very angry
Used to express anger or

Hell's teeth
Get a person' s back up

frustration

Give somebody / Get the

Make sb annoyed

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)

Annoy sb by preventing them

from doing sth
Be annoyed because you think

Choc o kien la
Tc nc v b
Nhan nh mat ho phu
Tc lon ruot
Gian sui bot mep
Mam mieng day tay
Mo dai nga / treu ong choc
ran
Ky a can mui

that sb has not treated you with

Bam gan tm ruot

enough respect
Annoy sb very much

Tc lon ruot

Be bad tempered from the

moment you get up
Become very angry or excited

48

Tc ay gan ay ruot
Soi gan noi mat

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

about sth
Shout at / speak angrily to sb
Give sb hell

Gnash your teeth

Show ones teeth
Go ape

because they have done sth

wrong
Feel very angry and upset about

49

Mang cho tat bep / tat

nc vao mat
Nghien rang nghien li /

sth, especially because you

nghien rang treo treo / nhe

cannot get what you want

Become extremely angry or

nanh gi vuot

excited

Tc nh bo a

Go ballistic
Go bananas / Have a pink /

Become very angry

Noi mau xung thien

blue fit
Go of deep end
Have / throw a fit
Have a cow

Get into a state of violent

emotion of anger
Become very excited or angry
Suddenly become very excited or
angry

Have a short temper

Giay nay nh a phai voi

ien tiet len
Gian ien ngi
Nong tai nong mat

Be very angry with sb and punish

Have sb' s guts for garters

them severely for sth they have

Tc trao mau hong

Here we go again

done
Used for showing you are angry

Biet roi kho lam noi mai

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

50

or annoyed that sth is starting to

His bark is worse than his
bite
His blood is up
Hit the roof / ceiling / Raise

happen again
Sb is not really as angry or unkind
as they seem

Suddenly become very angry

Soi mau len / nong mau

Make sb's blood boil

Hot under the collar

Angry or annoy

Nong gay

In high dudgeon

In an angry or ofended mood

Cau mat cau may

the roof

Used for telling sb who is angry or

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

very excited about sth to keep

Ha hoa

calm
Show that you are angry about a
situation, often by protesting in
public
Very bad tempered
Causing a person to be excitedly
and violently angry
Shock or disturb sb

Hung hang con bo xt

ang ang sat kh
Toc tai dng ngc

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

Gian tm mat / bam gan tm

Purple with rage

Run high
Send sb away / of with a flea
in their ear
Shake the dust from one's
feet
Sick to your stomach
Smooth somebody's ruffled
feathers
Spit blood venom

Take sth amiss

Take sth to heart
Tear one's hair
The feathers / fur / sparks will
fly
To hell with sb / sth

51

Be strong and angry or excited

ruot
Tc canh hong

(Refuse sbs request) angrily

Leave a place without request or
with relief or generally in anger or
disgust
Disgusted or angry
Make sb feel less angry or
ofended
Show that you are very angry,
speak in an angry way
Feel ofended about sth, perhaps

Tc nh am b bong
Nuot gian lam lanh
Gat nh mam tom

because you understand in a

wrong way
Be very ofended by sbs criticism
Be very worried or angry

Tc oi mau
Vo au bt tai

There will be anger, annoyance

Used to express anger or dislike
and to say that you no longer

Bien i cho khuat mat!

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

Turn in his / her grave

Up in arms about / over sth

52

care about sb/ sth

Likely to be shock or angry
Very angry and protesting very
strongly

Vi/ embarrassment:
English idioms

Meanings

A burning shame

Vietnamese idioms
Then o mat

A crying shame
As shy as a fawn

E le then thung / e then nh

As shy as a school girl

con gai mi ve nha chong

Mat o nh gac / mat o

Become red in face

Die of embarrassment
Hang your head in / for shame

Look or feel embarrassed or

nh ga choi
Xau ho muon chet
Ngng chn ca mat

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

Put to shame

53

ashamed
Khong biet chui lo ne nao /

Not know where to hide oneself

chui au xuong at / ch
muon on tho

Vii/ worry / afraid:

English idioms
A fuss about nothing
Make a song and dance about
sth
A shrinking violet
As afraid as a grasshopper
As nervous as a cat
As nervous as a mouse
As pale as a ghost

Meanings

Vietnamese idioms

A lot of anger or worry about sth

Roi tinh roi mu / lo bo

that is not important

trang rang

Sb is very shy and is easily

frightened

Yeu bong va
Run nh cay say / tai ngat
nh ga cat tiet / mat xanh
nh cham o / mat trang
nh thang chet troi / run
nh de

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

54

(of legs or knees) feel weak

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

because you are nervous or

frightened
Admire sb / sth and be slightly
afraid of them / it

Nhun nh con chi chi

Knh nhi vien chi

S chet khiep

Be very easily frightened, be

very nervous
Be / become very nervous about
sth
Tense, excited, nervous or
restless
Be extremely frightened or
bored

S hum s ca ct hum
Mat an mat ngu

Nh ngoi tren ong la

Kinh hon bat va

S xanh mat / mat vang

nh nghe
Make sb crazy or very nervous or Giam giat nh cho thang
worried

bay
Than hon nat than tnh
Chim phai s canh cay
cong / phai mot cai, rai

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

55

en gia
Frighten / Scare the life out of
sb

Frighten sb very much

S khiep am

Feel anxious and nervous,

Get / Have the jitters

Get / Have butterflies in your

especially before an important

event or before having to do sth
difficult
Get / have nervous feeling in

Nh ngoi phai coc

Kien bo trong bung / ruot

stomach

your stomach before doing sth

Suddenly feel very worried,

roi nh t vo

Go hot and cold all over

upset or frightened when you

Lanh ca ngi

remember sth very unpleasant

Be unable to stay still because
Have ants in your pants

you are anxious or excited about

sth
No longer want to continue what

Have cold feet

Have kittens

you intended or have started

because you are nervous or

ng ngoi khong yen /

nong ruot sot long

n xng sn

afraid
Be nervous and anxious,

An khong ngon, ngu khong

especially when you are waiting

yen / sot ruot sot gan /

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

for news of sth

He is so timid that he can never
He cannot say / cry Bo to a
goose

Ill at ease
In a (flat) spin
In a blue funk
In a lather

Jump out of your skin

Lead sb a merry dance

56

ruot nong nh la

utter a word to assert himself on

any point however small and

Nhat nh tho e

against anybody however

unformidable
Nervous, especially in a social
situation
Very confused, worried or
excited
Be depressed
In a nervous, angry or excited

S phat om
Roi nh canh he
Mat xanh nh t nhai
Cuong len nh chuot phai

state
khoi
Make a quick, sudden movement
Nhay dng len / giat ban
because sth has suddenly
ngi / nh giam phai la
frightened you
Cause sb a lot of trouble or
Lo cuong ca ke
worry

Make one's flesh creep

Make you feel afraid or full of

Hoang kinh hon va / hon

Make sb' s skin crawl

disgust

sieu phach lac

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

Scare, annoy sb very much

Nh phong nc soi
Mat xanh nh tau la
Kinh tam tang m

Frighten sb very much

Doa cho hon va len may

Afraid of sth
Suddenly make sb stop by

S noi gai oc / noi da ga

ng chet tran / ng

Stand in terror of sth

frightening or surprising them;

sng nh tri trong / ng

Stop sb in their tracks

suddenly stop because sth has

nh b chon chan / ng tr

frightened you
So near that you become afraid

nh phong

wits
Shake in one's boots

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

57

or anxious
Hardly able to breath because

Lo sot vo
you are very anxious about sth
You feel very frightened, nervous Dng toc gay
You have a sudden feeling of
S ng tim
fear, excitement
You feel very anxious or afraid
S mat mat

APPENDIX A: IDIOMS ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS

58

vIii/ envy:
English idioms
Green eyed - monster

Green with envy

Meanings
Jealousy
Very jealous (wanting sth that sb
else has)

Vietnamese idioms
Ghen mat xanh may xam / ghen
long ghen lon
Con ga tc nhau tieng gay /
ghen an tc / ghen an ghet
uong

Try to have all the possession

and social achievements that
Keep up with the Joneses

your neighbors or other people

Khong chu thua ch kem em

around you have, especially by

buying what they buy
Trau buoc ghet trau an / vo
Pale with envy

duyen ghet ke co duyen /

Sick with jealousy

khong tien ghet ke co tien

cam tay