like begets like

French translation: qui se ressemble s'assemble

13:11 May 25, 2019
English to French translations [Non-PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Graphology
English term or phrase: like begets like
The essence of all magical thinking is sympathetic correspondence, i.e., "like begets like." This is also known in mystical lore as "The Law of Similarity." If two things can be associated mentally, they allegedly enjoy a certain "sympathy" or "resonance." Either can then be used to reveal or influence the other via their magical interconnectedness.
Jacek Sierakowski
Belgium
Local time: 20:38
French translation:qui se ressemble s'assemble
Explanation:
Ce proverbe français ne traduit pas la notion d'hérédité, mais dans ce contexte justement il n'est pas non plus vraiment question d'hérédité...
Selected response from:

Anne Bohy
France
Local time: 20:38
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4l'enfant ressemble à son parent /La parenté se voit /etc.
Eliza Hall
3la similarité s'engendre d'elle-même
Florian PLATEL
3nous engendrons ce que nous sommes
Jean Charles CODINA
2 +1qui se ressemble s'assemble
Anne Bohy


  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
la similarité s'engendre d'elle-même


Explanation:
Suggestion...

Florian PLATEL
France
Local time: 20:38
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
l'enfant ressemble à son parent /La parenté se voit /etc.


Explanation:
If you look in the works of 19th c. French magician Papus, you'll find this idea expressed in a lot of different ways. In addition to the proposed target terms, you could say:

La déscendance ressemble à sa source [à l'ascendance]
L'homme est analogue à l'univers
Ce qui est en Bas est comme ce qui est en Haut
Le microcosme ressemble au macrocosme
Le macrocosme engendre le microcosme

etc. etc. etc.

In English "to beget" = "engendrer," so you see "like begets like" used in the context of dog and cat breeding: if you want the next generation to have longer legs, then you need to breed two long-legged animals together, etc. The phrase works in a lot of contexts, but you're obviously in the magic/Papus/Western Hermeticism context, so that's where you should look to find a way to say it in French. A few links for that:

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogies_et_correspondances

http://www.equi-nox.net/t2907-lois-d-analogie-et-corresponda...
Papus (1865-1916), Traité méthodique de science occulte (1891), t. I, p. 70 : Par l’analogie on détermine les rapports qui existent entre les phénomènes… La Nature est construite d’après un type primitif qu’on trouvera répété, sinon dans sa forme du moins dans son essence....




Eliza Hall
United States
Local time: 15:38
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
nous engendrons ce que nous sommes


Explanation:
"L'essence de toute pensée magique est la correspondance sympathique, c'est-à-dire, que nous engendrons ce que nous sommes."

Cela semble correspondre comme transposition de l'idée rechercher. Cela reste une suggestion.


Jean Charles CODINA
France
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Eliza Hall: This is only part of the idea. It's not just about "nous," but primarily about everything in the universe.
2 days 17 hrs
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
qui se ressemble s'assemble


Explanation:
Ce proverbe français ne traduit pas la notion d'hérédité, mais dans ce contexte justement il n'est pas non plus vraiment question d'hérédité...

Anne Bohy
France
Local time: 20:38
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: J'y avais pensé. C'est en effet le mieux dans ce contexte. Merci de confirmer. +-


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  ormiston: suis d'accord, vu l'explication qui suit
1 day 3 mins
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