Jun 21, 2010 00:11
13 yrs ago
6 viewers *
English term
As the call, so the echo.
English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
No context provided. What does this saying mean to native speakers of English? British/American/Canadian/Australian, etc. feedback welcome.
Responses
| 4 +4 | you reap what you sow |
Kim Metzger
|
| 4 | what goes around, comes around |
Jenni Lukac (X)
|
Responses
+4
6 mins
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Mexico
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Mexico
Committed to Quality and Service
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
55
Selected
you reap what you sow
Vietnamese proverbs
Nhân nào, quả nấy
As the call, so the echo - "As you sow so shall you reap"
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vietnamese_proverbs
Nhân nào, quả nấy
As the call, so the echo - "As you sow so shall you reap"
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vietnamese_proverbs
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Kim. |
| Should I take this to mean that the call and echo version is not a standard English saying? |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jennifer Levey
: Yes. Those of us who don't read Vietnamese will find something exceeeedingly similar in Jeremiah 1 - 19: As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap
37 mins
|
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The King James version is a work of art.
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|
| agree |
Carolyn Gille
6 hrs
|
| agree |
Jenny Westwell
7 hrs
|
| agree |
Alexandra Taggart
: Sow your friendliness into me!!!
21 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I personally like the more contemporary "what goes around, comes around," but all things considered, I believe this is the best suggestion. Thank you, all."
8 hrs
what goes around, comes around
This is a more modern saying that runs parallel in meaning to the Bible-based proverb Kim has suggested.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2010-06-21 12:00:33 GMT)
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I have to say that both "You reap what you sow" and "what goes around comes around came to mind when I saw the question. In looking it up in Google, it appears that "what goes around, comes around" is more common in North America than in the U.K. To my ear, it sounds more compatible with the (I must say translated) style of Asian proverbs and aphorisms: less Biblical and more akin to the asian way of perceiving the world and setting out moral behavior. That said, there is nothing at all wrong with Kim's answer.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2010-06-21 12:00:33 GMT)
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I have to say that both "You reap what you sow" and "what goes around comes around came to mind when I saw the question. In looking it up in Google, it appears that "what goes around, comes around" is more common in North America than in the U.K. To my ear, it sounds more compatible with the (I must say translated) style of Asian proverbs and aphorisms: less Biblical and more akin to the asian way of perceiving the world and setting out moral behavior. That said, there is nothing at all wrong with Kim's answer.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Jenni. This is what came to my mind, too. Do you see/hear the call/echo version as at all standard English, or is it strictly a translation of Vietnamese/Russian/other? |
Discussion
Concise dictionary of European proverbs - Google Books Result
Emanuel Strauss - 1998 - Literary Criticism - 491 pages
543 — as the call, so the echo 543 Eng: as the call, so the echo as the question, so the answer as you give out, so you must take in again Scots: as you ...
books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=0415160502...
While the meaning is similar to what Kim suggested, it is a bit more narrow, actually referring to the tone of speaking (or manner of treatment) only: You talk to a person (treat someone) in a nasty tone and he/she will talk back to you (treat you) the same way.
I understand Kim's proverb to be more general, along the lines of "You are responsible for the consequences of your actions".
Not sure which one it is in this case, thought.
I don't think so. The phrase is used as the title of a movie about an American surgeon in Vietnam. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0839729/