Describing Analogies

[zombie-laika.livejournal.com]

How do you express analogies in Russian? For example, "a is to b as c is to d". Спасибо (thank you).

Comments

[barilotti.livejournal.com]

"А относится к Б так же, как В относится к Г"

If you want to add that it is precisely the same you can use "точно так же" instead of just "так же".

[zombie-laika.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the quick response!

[barilotti.livejournal.com]

you're welcome :)

After thinking for a while I can add that sometimes you can even translate it more literally:

"А является для Б тем же, чем В является для Г".

[ekeme-ndiba.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind that algebra uses Roman letters, so "a", "b", "c" and "d" are more appropriate there (or "here"? I can't manage to deal with here/there in English).

[temcat.livejournal.com]

Nobody said that this has anything to do with algebra. This could as well be any other abstract matters, where Cyrillic letters are perfectly OK :-P

[zombie-laika.livejournal.com]

As a math major, I'm curious about this. Would you happen to know why? I bet Cyril and Methodius are rolling in their graves!

[oryx_and_crake]

а относится к b, как с относится к d

[zombie-laika.livejournal.com]

Thank you, also!

[yms.livejournal.com]

it's a proportion, not an analogy :)
Another possible translation: a для b - то же, что c для d.
Prepositions depend on situation.

[zombie-laika.livejournal.com]

I'd say the difference between the two depends only on the equivalence relation... :)

А спасибо за пример! (But thanks for the example!)

[yms.livejournal.com]

А спасибо за пример!

Но is better here :)

[zombie-laika.livejournal.com]

Of course! Thanks again.