Tsumo dzakadudzirwa neChingezi (Shona proverbs translated to English)
- Aive madziva ava mazambuko, aiva mazambuko ava madziva. = The rich can also lose their prestigious position, likewise the poor can be elevated to wealth.
- Chitsva chiri murutsoka. = New things come to those who search for them
- Chakachenjedza ndichochakatanga. = Experience is a great teacher.
- Charovedzera charovedzera gudo rakakwira mawere kwasviba. = What is experienced is experienced, the baboon climbed a precipice at night (in the dark)”.
- Chawawana idya nehama, mutorwa ane hanganwa. = What you’ve found, is to eat with relatives because strangers are forgetful.
- Mbwa nyoro ndidzo tsengi dzamatowo. = The descent dogs are the ones that chew raw hides.
- Kana chingoma choririsa, choda kutsemuka. = When the drum beats too loud, it’s about to crack.
- Kubata mwana wengwe senga pfuti. = To catch a leopard’s cub, carry a gun.
- Kuwanda huuya museve wakapotera pamuzukuru. = The more we are the better the arrow hit the nephew.
- Kandiro kanoenda kunobva kamwe. = Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. Literally “the plate of food goes where another comes from”.
- Kubvunza chatikwatara, hunge une katurikwa. = To inquire about the sound of a falling object, it is because you had something hung up.
- Mbeva zhinji hadzina marise. = Too many cooks spoil the broth.
- Mugoni wepwere ndeasinayo.= Literally “one who can control children is one without any”.
- Murombo haarovi chine nguwo. = A poor man does not make a big kill.
- Mbimbindoga akawira mumasese. = The one who wanted all for himself fell into the residue/leftover beer.
- Mukuru mukuru hanga haigari pfunde. = The big one is the big one, a guinea-fowl does not perch on sorghum”.
- Mweni haapedzi dura. A visitor will not finish the food stock.
- Mwana washe muranda kumwe. = A chief’s son is a slave in another land.
- Natsa kwaunobva, kwaunoenda usiku. = Have a good reputation where you come from because you do not know what awaits you where you are heading.
- Ndambakuudzwa akaonekwa nembonje pahuma. = Those who refuse to listen to other people’s good advice end up in trouble.
- Nondo kugara mun’ombe, hanzi ndava n’ombewo. = The tsetse fly living among cattle thinks it’s cattle too.
- Rume rimwe harikombi churu. = One man can’t surround an ant hill. (two hands are better than one.)
- Seka urema wafa. = Mock disability after death.
- Svosve wakatuma nzou. = An ant sent elephant. (Small can have a bigger influence.)
- Tamba tamba chimwango muswe ndakabata. = Do what you want but i have control.
- Ukama igasva hunozadzikiswa nekudya. = Kinship is a measure half full, eating makes it full.
- Yadeuka yadeuka mvura yeguchu haijorerwe. = Water spilt from a calabash cannot be recovered.
- Zanondega akaonekwa nembonje pahuma. = He who disregarded advice ended up with a scar on the forehead”.
- Rombe pakata hana mukaka ndowavaridzi. = Beggar, look to your conscience, the milk belongs to it owners. (A beggar is not a chooser.)
- Muromo haupi / chinopa maoko. = The mouth does not give. What gives are the hands. (Empty promises are not words than deeds.)
- Kurayira kunoda pwere / mukuru ndimambo.= You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. (discipline must be administered while children are young. A Grown-up man is beyond being disciplined.)
- Shungu dzembwa dziri mumwoyo kuhukura ndiko kududza. = A dog’s emotions are in its heart, barking is their expression.
- Chava chigondora chava chimombe / kukona kutunga urema hwacho. = What was a bullock is now a grown beast, if it cannot gore that is its stupidity. (a grown man is expected to support himself.)
- Chada mwoyo hachikoni, mwoyo chiremba. = What the heart wants is not impossible; the heart is a doctor. (The heart’s desire makes a man work wonders.)
- Atandavara aguta apfunya ndowavata nayo. = The one with legs outstretched has eaten to his satisfaction. The one with crossed legs is the one who went to bed hungry. (The feelings of others cannot be experienced as such but sho themselves by external signs.)
- Kwamairidigikira ndiko kwomoringa benya. Kwamairinga benya ndiko kwomoridigikira. = Where you used to visit is where you now turn up your nose. Where you used to turn up your nose is where you now visit. (People are fickle in their loyalties, and their friendship is swayed by a change of fortune.)
- Chinokura choga isango, munda kukura huona tewe. = What grows on its own is a forest, for a field to grow is to see a master.
- Chembere masikati, usiku imvana. = An old woman by day, at night still able to bear. (People show one side of themselves in public and another in private.)
- Rombe ngerichaenda, rodzoka ndimambo. = The beggar is the one who goes away, on his return he is a chief.) One who shows initiative is often ridiculed. But if he succeeds, he will be praised.
- Ane mhuri kwayo ndeane ndume, ane mhurikadzi vaeni. = One with a real family is one who has boys, one with a family of girls has strangers. (A boychild will stay at home eternally while a girl will be married and go to her husband’s house and make her permanent home there.)
- Chembere ndeyembwa, yomunhu inofa ichigurukuta.= Mere old age belongs to a dog when the old dies grumbling.
- Chirungurira ndechowadya maradzwa, chowerinopisa isvoto. = Indigestion is the complaint of one who has eaten leftovers. (Some offenses are easier to bear than others.)
- Chembere ndeyembwa, yomurume ndibaba wavanhu. = An old one as such is (when it is) a dog, when it is a man he is the father of people. (Give respect to the old.)
- Vaviri vaviri, wechitatu muzvinaguhwa. = Two people a pair, a third is a slanderer. (To keep a secret three are too many.)
- Kungotya nyanga dzezizi, nyamba manhenga. = It’s just fear of the horns of an owl, whereas they are feathers. (do not be ruled by appearances)
- Chipa-muchena, kupfuma mudzimu wake. = It is help to a poor man, riches are his spirit’s affair. (A poor man will not emerge from his poverty, though he is helped, since that is his lot.)
- Chitsva chitsva, munamba wejenachena. = what is new is new, it is white porridge made with beestings. (new ways attract a following.)
- Ishe ndishe, muranda muranda.= A chief is a chief, a subject is a subject; one’s manner of acting should accord with one’s position in society.
- Heya baravara ndiwo magariro, kutuka mwene wechisvo ndiwo mano? = A shaven head is a way of life, is it wise to scold the owner of the razor; do not offend your benefactors, you may need their help again.
- Chakata iri pasi ndeyavanhu vose, asi iri mumuti ndeye agona kukwira. = The fruit on the ground belongs to everyone, that on the tree is for the one who climbed. (Do not take anything for granted unless it is in your possession.
- Mbavha imbatwa, mbavha-rutsoka ishamwari. = A thief is one caught (red-handed), a thief (suspected by a) footprint is a friend. (No one must be presumed guilty unless witnessed committing a crime.)
- Kutaura kudzikisira, kuita makata. = Speech is like going downhill, action is like going uphill.
- Kufa izuva rimwe, kuora igore. = Death is one day, corruption a year. (Beware of what may harm you and have long-lasting consequences)
- Kureva ndokunei? kutarisa kurevawo. = What has speech got? looking is also speaking.
- Chaikanya chototsa, chaitotsa chokanvawo. = The one who used to eat sadza dry now dips it into relish, the one who used to dip it into relish now eats it dry. (The wheel of fortune goes round and roles are reversed.)
- Nzanga seka dumba, dumba seka nzanga. = Village laugh at shack, shack laugh at village. (The wheel of fortune goes round and roles are reversed.)
- Aive madziva ave mazambuko, aive mazambuko ava madziva. = What were pools have become fords, what were fords have become pools.
- Chinono chine ingwe, bere rinodya richifamba. = Caution characterizes the leopard, the hyena eats as he walks.
- Chawawana idya nehama, mutorwa ane hanganwa. = Eat what you have with a kinsman, a stranger forgets. (Blood is thicker than water)
- China manenji hachifambisi, chinomirira kuti mavara aonekwe. = A wonderful thing does not hurry away, it waits for its marks to be seen. = A criminal will always be caught because he will repeat his crime. A startling or terrible event will normally give previous warning of its likely occurrence.
- Kunokanganwa mudyi wenyemba, muoreri wamateko haakanganwi. = The one who forgets is the eater of the beans, the one who gathers up the shells does not forget. (One who causes an injury may forget but the victim will not.)
- Gombarume kudze soro, kukudza dumbu wonge wave chana. = Master, have a big head, if you have a big belly you become like a child. (It is more important to have the intelligence to work for food than the mere appetite to enjoy it.)
- Potsi haarwirwi, anorwirwa ndipiri. = Number one is not fought over, he who is fought over is number two. (Action may not be taken against an offence until it is repeated.)
- Dindingwe rinonakirwa richikweva iro, kana rokwehwa roti, ‘mavara angu azara ivhu’. = The cheetah enjoys pulling the other along, when it is pulled it says ‘my spots are covered in dirt’. = One objects to treatment which one metes out to others.
- Inotanda yomunyepi, younyerere haitandi. = (it chases, does the boaster’s (dog), the modest man’s does not chase; viz. Boasting achieves more than performance)
- Nzanga inokura yerema, yomuchenjeri inoparara. = The village of the fool grows, that of the clever man breaks up. (The quiet achieve more than the talkers.)
- Chinonyenga chinokotama, chinosimudza musoro chawana. = The suppliant bows down, he raises his head when he has got what he wants; viz. (Suppliant humility is replaced by surfeited pride.)
- Kugocha kunoda kwaamai, kwomwana kunodzima mwoto. = Roasting requires (the action) of the mother, that of the child puts out the fire.
- Charovedzera charovedzera, gudo rakakwira mawere kwasviba. = One who is used to something is one who is used to something. the baboon climbed the precipice in the dark. (We do easily that to which we are accustomed.)
- Chiripo chiripo, ndarira imwe hairiri. = What is there is there, one bracelet does not tinkle on its own. (Nothing happens without a cause, or two witnesses are necessary to be believed.)
- Ane ganda ane nyama, hazvienzane nowakabata hwohwa. = One who has some skin has some meat, it is not as with him who holds only a mushroom. (Half a loaf is better than no bread.)
- Chisi chako hachibatsiri, unodya wakaringa kumusuwo. = What does not belong to you is of no use, you eat facing the doorway. (One cannot enjoy stolen property, or use borrowed goods with a relaxed mind.)
- Musungusungu wakakunda mowa, muzukuru wakakunda mwana. = Black nightshade tastes better than wild spinach, a nephew is more favoured than a son. (Relations between a man and his sister’s son are more relaxed than with his own son who, ironically, is the nearer to him.)
- Chembere yoshayika, bere rorutsa imvi. = The old lady is missing, the hyena is vomiting grey hairs. (There is no smoke without a fire.)
- Kandiro enda, kandiro dzoka. = Little dish go, little dish come back; (one good turn deserves another.
- Chaza masikati charamba ndima, chaza usiku charamba hope. = That which came during the day prevented weeding, that which came during the night prevented sleep. (one way or another, one is bound to suffer)
- Nhasi chineni, mangwana chinewe. = Today it is my turn, tomorrow it is yours. (Do not mock at anyone in trouble, or take advantage of them. You may be in their shoes tomorrow.)
- Pane danga pane mombe, pane hundi pagara hurudza. = Where a kraal is there are cattle, where chaff is there lives a good farmer. (Every effect must have a cause, and every achievement requires effort.)
- Rwomuranda rwakoneswa norwashe, rwashe rwakoneswa nemvura kunaya. = The subject’s journey was prevented by the chief’s, the chief’s was prevented by the rain. (There is no one without a superior.)
- Chapadare chakakandwa parurimi rwavapfuuri, chomumba ehiri mumhepo. = A matter arising in court is thrown to the tongues of passersby, that arising in the home stays in the air within.
- Dare harizondi munhu, rinozonda mhosva. = A court does not hate the man, it hates the crime. (A court should be transparent.)
- Mhosva inorondwa, hakuna mhosva yakaita honye. = A case is tracked down, no case ever developed a worm. (The claims of justice do not lapse through the passage of time.)
- Chigere ibwe, muti unowa. = What abides is the stone, the tree falls. (No man should boast about his life or his strength.)
- Ane marengenya, haacharike moto. = One who wears rags, does not jump over a fire.
- Wakagarika ngewakafa, mupenyu pfumo riri mushure. = The one at peace is the one who is dead, as for the living, a spear is poised behind him. (Mortal man is always vulnerable to death.)
- Ibangano muchateya, kuzondoona kwava kwomumwe chete. = It is cooperation while you are still setting the trap, but as for going to inspect it, there is only one person. (A man seeks the help of others when commencing an enterprise, but when he reaps its fruits, he keeps them for himself.)
- Kuona roro kutsvuka kunze, nyamba mukati makadyiwa namakonye. = To see a roro fruit, it is red outside, yet inside it has been eaten by worms. (An attractive exterior may hide a repulsive interior.)
- Chinogova ruoko, muromo haugovi. = What gives away is the hand, the mouth does not give. (Action speaks louder than words.)
- Chakaenzanwa ibvudzi, upfumi hahuna kuenzanwa. = What is shared out equally is hair, wealth is not shared out equally. (People, though sharing a common nature, differ in their natural gifts and in their outlook.)
- Chinokokwa upfumi, urombo hunozvikoka. = What is invited is wealth, poverty invites itself. (Prosperity is acquired by arduous effort whereas poverty comes of itself.)
- Chinokura usipo imombe, munda unokura nokuvandurirwa. = What grows in one’s absence is a beast, a field grows by being renewed. (For success, unremitting labour is required.)
- Chikomo chiremera kune vari kure, vari pedyo vanotamba nacho. A mountain is scary to those who are far, those who are close play with it. (An man of power is respected by those far from him, those close play with him.)
- N’ai kwadzo ndedzomucheche, dzomukuru dzinoreva kudya. = Genuine yawns belong to the child, those of an adult betoken food. (children are ingenuous, adults devious. They convey their meanings, for example when complaining, in an indirect way.)
- Kure ndokuna amai, kune mukadzi unofa wasvika. = Far is where mother is, where wife is you risk death to reach. (The difficulty in any venture is relative to one’s interest.)
- Nzou mutupo pana vanhu, paseri ava machikichori. = An elephant is taboo in public, in private it is delicious food. (Outward respectability may cloak secret self indulgence.)
- Chidokodoko chirere-muviri, chikuru chinozouya wakora. = A very little is sustenance for the body, more will come later when it is fat. (From small beginnings come great things.)
- Tsapata rukukwe, hazvienzani nokuvata pasi. A worn-out mat is still a bed, it is not like sleeping on the ground. (Half a loaf is better than no bread.)
- Rukova rwizi / kuyambuka unokwinya nguo. = A brook is a river, when crossing you tuck up your clothes. (A humble disposition is required to overcome difficulties.)
- Wegudza ndowegudza, kufuga gumbeze rinotsva. One meant to have a bark blanket is one meant to have a bark blanket, if he puts on a woolen one, it gets burnt. (Misfortune dogs the unfortunate.)
- Chako ndechako, kuseva unosiya muto. = One can rely only on what is one’s own, one’s kinsmen or one’s property.
Practice Exercise
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