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African Proverbs You Dont Know / Interprete This Emojis Into Yoruba Proverbs / Owe Ile Yoruba -some Lovely Yoruba Proverbs And Their Meanings. (2) (3) (4)
Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by midolian(m): 6:51pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
Yes! ![]() ![]() Few days ago, I promised to come up with some "super-lovely" yoruba proverbs and here I am with them. Proverbs no doubt are a part of what makes the Yoruba language very rich. They are a quick, deep and effective way of passing messages in such a way that joining a thousand sentences together sometimes cant. For your reading pleasure! ![]() 1.) A fi o joba o nsawure o fe je Olorun ni? Meaning: You have been crowned a king, and yet you make good-luck charms; would you be crowned God? Being crowned a king is about the best fortune a mortal could hope for. 2.) A ki binu ori ka fi fila de ibadi. One does not get angry with one's head and therefore use one's cap to cover one's buttocks. Do not cut your nose to spite your face. 3.) A ki binu ori ka fi fila de ibadi. One does not get angry with one's head and therefore use one's cap to cover one's buttocks. Do not cut your nose to spite your face. 4.) A ki i bo orisa loju ofon-on; bo ba dale a maa tu pepe. One does not sacrifice to a god in the presence of a house rat; otherwise, when night falls it invades the rafter shelves. Do not do things that might constitute temptation to others. 5.) A nsoro ole, aboyun ndahun; odiidi eyan lo gbe pamo. We speak of stealing and a pregnant woman intervenes; she herself is concealing a whole person. Her condition makes her guilty of concealment. 6.) A pe e lomo erin-magbon o nyo; iwo paapa lo mi i? ![]() You are described as the child of the elephant that swallows coconuts, and you rejoice; are you the one who swallows coconuts? The description honors the father, not the person being addressed. 7.) A-bi-i-ko; a-ko-i-gba; ode lo ti nkogbon wale. A-child-that-was-never-taught-how-to-behave; a-child-that-was-taught-but-that-refused-to-heed-instruction; it is from outside the home that he will learn wisdom. Look well to your child's upbringing. 8.) Abulera ofon-on; o ni ojo ti ologbo-o ti bi oun o iti-i da a ni barika. Mouse-that-does-not-know-its-place; it says that since the day the cat delivered (a baby) it has not gone to offer congratulations. Never forget your vulnerabilities and limitations. 9.) Adigbonrankun nfiku sere. Death-feigning-beetle flirts with death. If one persists in flirting with disaster, disaster is liable to befall one. 10.) Afopina to fe pan-a suya: eran po si i. The moth (that) tries to put out the barbecue fire: the meat becomes more plentiful. A person who foolishly attempts dangerous tasks courts destruction. 11.) A bimo ko gbon, a ni ko ma saa ku; ki ni npa omo bi aigbon? A child lacks wisdom, and some say that what is important is that the child does not die; what kills more surely than lack of wisdom? A foolish child is not much better than a dead child. 12.) A ki i fi ona ikun han ifun. One does not show the throat the way to the stomach. Do not presume to know better than the expert. 13.) A ki le lku meji ka ma pofo. One does not chase two rats and avoid coming up with nothing. Never try to go in two directions at once. 14.) A nfotun teni, a nfosi tu sokoto, obinrin ni a ko ba oun gbo t-omo. One spreads a mat with the right hand while removing one's pants with the left hand; yet the woman complains that one is not helping her quest for a child. Some people are incapable of recognizing and acknowledging favors. 15.) Ahun nre ajo, o gbe ile-e re dani. Tortoise embarks on a journey and takes his house with it. One's dearest possessions deserve one's closest attention. 16.) Aja la ba ki; ese o peran funni je. One should rather commend the dog; the cat does not kill meat for one to eat. Assign commensurate values to your assets. 17.) Adie njeka, o mmumi,o ngbe okuta pe-pe-pe mi, o ni oun o lehin; ideregbe to lehin ngbe irin mi bi? The chicken eats corn, drinks water, even swallows small pebbles, and yet complains that it lacks teeth; does the goat that has teeth swallow steel? One should be content with one's lot. 18.) Bi a ba fi odun meta pilese-e were, ojo wo la o bunije? If one takes three years to prepare for one's madness, when will one start biting people? Preparations for an action should not be endless. 19.) Bi ajanaku o ba gbekele furo, ki i mi odu agbon If an elephant is not sure of its anus, it does not swallow whole coconuts. Unless one can cope with the consequences, one does not engage in an action. 20.) Bi ina ba joni, to jo omo eni, tara eni la nko gbon. If one is on fire and one's child is on fire, one douses one's fire first. Without first attending to one's needs, one cannot attend to others'. 21.) Obinrin beere osi beere. Innumerable wives, innumerable problems. Whoever adds wives to wives adds problems to problems. 22.) Obo-o ni itiju lo mu oun sapamo sabe inu, sugbon bi oko ba de, oun a sina fun un. The vagina says its is coyness that caused it to hide below the belly, but if a penis shows up, it will open the way for it. Modesty does not indicate a lack of ability or willingness to act decisively. 23.) Ogun agbotele ki I pa aro. A long foreseen war does not kill a cripple. One must take advantage of foreknowledge to protect oneself. 24.) Ohun ti aja ri to fi ngbo o to eyi ti aguntan-an fi nseran wo. That which a dog sees and barks at is nothing compared to what the sheep contemplates in silence. Some people make mountains out of other people's mole-hills. 25.) Oko abinuju ki i peye. A stone thrown in anger does not kill a bird. Whatever one does in anger is liable to go awry. [img]https://northoflagos.files./2011/03/adielaagun.png?w=584[/img] 6 Likes 5 Shares |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by midolian(m): 6:52pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
26.) Okobo o le fi alatosi sesin. The eunuch cannot make fun of the person with gonorrhea. A person with a blemish of his/her own should not make fun of other people's blemishes. 27.) Oku ajanaku la nyo ogbo si; ta ni je yo agada seerin? It is a dead elephant one approaches with a cutlass; who would dare draw a machete to attack an elephant that is alive? One dares taunt a powerful adversary when he has been neutralized. 28.) Onimonii, etu-u jinfin olamola, etu-u jinfin; eran miiran o si nigbo ni? Today, the antelope falls into a ditch; tomorrow, the antelope falls into the ditch; is there no other animal in the forest? If the same person gets into trouble every time, the person need to look to himself/herself. 29.) Oyun inu: a ki i ka a kun omo-o tile. One does not count a pregnancy as a child already delivered. One should not treat anything hoped for as though it was already in hand. 30.) Ogbon odunnii, were emii. Today's wisdom, next year's madness. What seems wise now may appear like lunacy in hindsight. 32.) "A o moyi Olorun yo se" ko je ka binu ku. We know not what God will do keeps one from committing suicide. Often it is hope that keeps people going. 33.) Akuko-o ko, ole-e pose. The cock crows, and the lazy person hisses. The coming of the morning is an annoyance to the lazy person. 34.) Ko si ohun ti nti oke bo ti ile ogba. There is nothing dropping from above that the earth cannot withstand. There is no eventuality that one cannot cope with. 35.) Bi maluu-u to maluu, opa kan ni Fulani fi nda won. However numerous the cattle might be, it is with only one staff that the Fulbe man herds them. The good worksperson needs no elaborate tools. 36.) Bi o pe tite, akololo a pe baba. However long it may take, the stammarer will eventually say, Father. With perseverance, the most difficult task will eventually be accomplished. 37.) Ebo jije ki i pa igun. The consumption of sacrificial offerings will not kill the vulture. One's natural calling will not hurt one. 38.) Akeyinje o mo pe idi nro adie. The person who gathers eggs to eat does not know that the chicken's orifice hurts. One should never be so preoccupied with one's own pleasures that one does not care what they cost others. 39.) Oore ti a se fadie o gbe; bo pe titi a somi tooro sini lenu. The favor one does a chicken is not for nought; in due course it will make stew to delight one's mouth. There will always be a return for whatever favor one does others. 40.) Bi a ba ri oku ika nile, ti a fi ese ta; ika-a di meji. If one sees the corpse of a wicked person on the ground and one kicks it, there are then two wicked people. If one returns evil for evil, one joins the ranks of the evil. 41.) Afikokojale, bi oba aye o ri o, torun ri o . You-who-steal-in-secret, if an earthly king does not see you, the heavenly king sees you. Nothing is hidden from God. 42.) Afoju ajanaku, ko mo igi, ko mo eeyan. A blind elephant does not know a man from a tree. Fate is no respecter of persons. 43.) A-gbejo-nkan-dajo, osika eeyan. He-who-decides-a-case-after-hearing-only-one-side, (is) the dean of wicked persons. Justice requires considering both sides of a case. 44.) Ajo aiwuniiyun la ndifa si. It is a journey one does not want to make that one consults the oracle about. Where there is no desire, excuses are easy to find. 45.) Apani ki i je ka mu ida koja nipako oun. A murderer never permits the passage of a sword behind his skull. The criminal is ever suspicious of other people's intentions. 46.) Arugbo ondagbese, o ni melo ni oun o duuro san nibe? The old person who incurs debt, he says how much of it will he be around to repay? A person whose days are numbered can afford to freely take on long-term obligations. 47.) Ara ibadan ki i sagun; a o rin sehin ni won nwi. Ibadan people do not run from war; what they say is, We will fall back a little. There are ways of avoiding battle without seeming to do so. 48.) Bi a ba ka oko mo obinrin nidii a ni kuku ni If one catches a penis in a woman's vagina she will argue that it is only corn-cob. Trust a woman to deny even the obvious. 49.) E tan ki i se ogbon. Deceit is no wisdom. Deceit is not a reliable strategy to count on. 50.) obo o se se alejo The vagina is not a thing for showing hospitality Good things are not good for all purposes A big thanks to Dr. Oyekan Owomoyela, a professor of African literature for his great work, titled "The good person" which I picked majority of these proverbs from AND the elders. Cc: lalasticlala, seun, hardeybohwarley, Agarawu23, Aminat508, yourmain, goatandyamtheory, rilwayne001, jega01, et al Feel free to add yours! ![]() 4 Likes |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by pweedyuz(f): 6:55pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
Gr8 proverbs Xpecially No 5 nd 17 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by agarawu23(m): 6:56pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
11.) A bimo ko gbon, a ni ko ma saa ku; ki ni npa omo bi aigbon? A child lacks wisdom, and some say that what is important is that the child does not die; what kills more surely than lack of wisdom? I like the message here 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by kossyablaze(m): 7:02pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
Ok na 3 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by Femolacaster(m): 7:39pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
Op, good work....."asa ati ede Yoruba ko ni parun lailai"! 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by GOATandYAMtheory: 8:59pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
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Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by Nobody: 9:03pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
Oh! I love this ![]() Lalasticlala, pls do the needful |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by Aminat508(f): 9:17pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
Midolian u did not mention me ni? ![]() ![]() 2 Likes |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by midolian(m): 9:28pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
Aminat508:I did but the post was hidden and I was banned by the anti-spam bot. |
Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by midolian(m): 9:39pm On Sep 13, 2015 |
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Re: Some "Super-lovely" And Hilarious Yoruba Proverbs You Would Love To Know by Swiftgrp: 7:12am On Oct 26, 2023 |
midolian: |
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