Meaning of the word 脸 liễn, 面 diện in Chinese and mặt, diện (human face) in Vietnamese

Abstract

Human face is an important body part as facial recognition helps people to understand each other’s identity. The word “mặt” (human face) in Vietnamese is the equivalent of the Chinese word “脸/面” (human face) and these words are polysemous. The associative meanings of the words are created through metaphors and metonymies. As a result of the Chinese – Vietnamese language contact, the word 面 (human face) of Chinese origin has become a Sino-Vietnamese word in the Vietnamese language. There are some similarities and differences in meanings of the words “mặt/diện” (human face) in Vietnamese and the words “脸/面” (human face) in Chinese. This article employs some research methods and techniques such as statistics, analysis, comparing and contrasting, to point out the correlation between the words that describe a human face in Chinese and Vietnamese. It is hoped that the research findings will be usefull as a reference for Chinese teaching and researching in Vietnam.