響く: A Bell Echoing and Costs Affecting a Business
Compare a temple bell echoing across a valley with rising material costs affecting a store. Follow the subjects, affected targets, and the past echo versus ongoing business impact.
A bell sound echoing throughout a valley
響く (ひびく) can mean to echo. 「寺の鐘の音が谷全体に響いた。」 — “The sound of the temple bell echoed throughout the valley.” The sound of the temple bell is the subject, and the valley is the space throughout which it echoed.
響いた reports a past echo. Sound spreading through that space is distinct from confirmation that every person there heard it.
Rising costs affecting a business
「材料費の上昇が店の経営に響いている。」 — “Rising material costs are affecting the store's business.” Rising material costs are now the subject, and the store's business is the affected target. This is the affecting sense of 響く rather than a physical sound.
響いている presents an ongoing business impact. It does not report that the store has already closed or provide a particular financial amount.
Follow the sound or costs as the subject
The first relationship is 鐘の音が谷全体に: a bell sound and the valley. The second is 材料費の上昇が店の経営に: rising costs and the store's business. Following the subject and target distinguishes the senses.
Also read the endings. 響いた describes the past echo, while 響いている presents the ongoing effect on business. The physical echo and the business impact belong to separate examples.
Does 「材料費の上昇が店の経営に響いている。」 describe a sound physically echoing?
Show the answer and why
No. It means that rising material costs are affecting the store's business. Distinguish that ongoing impact from the past sound of a temple bell echoing throughout a valley by following the subject, target, and verb form.