Make a gift of rose, hand stay lingering fragrance.

[diamondcutter]

Make a gift of rose, hand stay lingering fragrance.

Many people in China use this sentence to mean “The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.” But I don’t think it makes sense. What do you say?

 

[Tarheel]

It doesn't make sense in English.

 

[emsr2d2]

In what situation would that sentence be used in China? That might help us to come up with a similar idiom or proverb in English.

 

[5jj]

“The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.”

That makes sense to me, but it's not something we British say,

 

[diamondcutter]

Hi, emsr2d2.

They use the sentence in the OP to mean when you help others, you also get something back, for example, good mood, friendship, respect and so on. Is there a similar proverb or saying in English?

 

[Tarheel]

@diamondcutter In my post I referring to the first one, which was what I thought your question was about. As for the fragrance staying in a person's hand, that is not literally true. (It's probably not meant literally.) Perhaps: "Good things come to those who do good for others."

 

[emsr2d2]

What goes around comes around.

 

[diamondcutter]

But I found the meaning of the proverb--What goes around comes around--is not positive on this page:

Definition of WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

—used to say that if someone treats other people badly he or she will eventually be treated badly by someone else… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[5jj]

It is not negative elsewhere:

what goes around comes around - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

en.wiktionary.org