Dingindira
Tsumo dzemhuri.
Shona proverbs with their meaning, not just the saying. Seven hundred and sixteen tsumo, grouped by what each one is for.
Waita mbereko ada kusuka machira.Once someone becomes a parent, they know they must give up childish...Mupanje wekunze unodzivirira iri mukati.Do not speak ill of your own people to outsiders, because it shows...Kubaya tange hama vatorwa vakutye.To give orders that people will obey, you must first discipline your...Ndiro yechirema hairove.A disabled person has a designated plate known to the whole...Rukova rwizi kuyambuka unokwinya nguo.A child from a great household earns respect from others, however...Benzi kunge riri rako kudzana kwaro unopururudza. (M)When your relative does something people criticise, you do not...Chirango chehuku chiri mumusongora.Since ancient times it was known that the neck of a chicken is the...Zuva rimwe haripedzi dura.Giving someone a single day's worth of food does not finish all the...Aramba ukama apa huku yangu kurarama.If you see someone, even a relative, who does not want to visit or...Akupa dhamba (rengavi) ndowako.Be grateful to someone who gives you something you can use right...Mharadzano dzakabva munzira.In conversations that build a household, people must learn to choose...Akweva sanzu akweva namarara aro.If you take in and care for someone who has dependents relying on...Chawawana idya nehama mutorwa ane hanganwa.Always remember to help and support your relatives, because they are...Mhandakadzi ihonza varanda.Women's quarrels should not be imitated; anyone who tries to copy...Chakafukidza dzimba matenga.There are private matters that take place inside the house.Chirere chigokurerawo.Take care of the young so that they may take care of you in your old...Kuudza mwana hupedzisira.Telling a child something is not enough on its own; teaching must be...Kuwanda kwakanaka, kwakaipira kupedza muto.It's good to have numbers, but they also demand more resources.Kuwanda huuya.The more, the merrier.Mbeva zhinji hadzina mashe.Where there are many people, no one takes responsibility and things...Mhembwe rudzi inozvara mwana ane kazhumu.People produce children with traits similar to themselves; the apple...Muroyi royera kure vekwako vagokureverera.Don't be cruel to the people close to you.Nzombe huru yakabva mukurerwa.Great people are raised up by other people.Zviuya hazviwanani.Perfect people rarely find each other in marriage.Zingizi gonyera pamwe maruva enyika haaperi.Settle with one partner; there are many beautiful people in the world.Abereka otochena moyo.Real peace of mind comes only once an ordeal is fully over, just as...Ane mhuri kwayo ndeane ndume ane mhurikadzi vaeni.In Shona kinship, sons remain within the family and carry its name...Baba muredzi mwana kuchema anodaidza mai.Even though a father also plays a part in raising a child, a crying...Chembere ndeyembwa yomunhu, inofa ichigurukuta.An elderly woman keeps faithfully serving her family right up until...Chikomba chinovirima kwacho.A secret lover does their own thing discreetly, out of everyone...Chirere, mangwana chigozokurerawo.What you nurture and care for well, such as raising a child, will in...Hapana mhou inokumira mhuru isiri yayo.No one gives the same devoted care to what is not truly their own as...Mai musuva usingasevi muto.A mother often gives the best to everyone else while going without...Mbudzi kudya mufenje kufananyina.Children tend to inherit and follow the habits of their parents, for...Mhembwe rudzi kuzvara mwana ane kazhumu.Offspring naturally carry the traits of their parents, marked out by...Mugoni wepwere ndeasinayo.Those without direct experience of a hardship are often the quickest...Mukadzi oda kuramba murume anoshereketa.Someone about to make a major decision often shows visible unease...Mukwasha mukuyu haapere kudyiwa.A son-in-law is expected to keep contributing gifts to his in-laws...Munhu haarerwi nebonde.Raising a child well takes far more than simply providing food and...Munyai mutumwa, muridzi wesoko ndiwe.A mediator only carries the message; the real responsibility and...Muramu inzungu yakateya gonzo.A playful in-law relationship can be tempting, but it carries its...Murume akanaka asiri wako.It often seems that the most admirable man is never the one...Musha mukadzi.The wellbeing of a home rests above all on the woman who runs it.Musikana isango rehuni rinotsvagwa naani nani.An unmarried young woman tends to draw many suitors, all hoping to...Musikana ishavhi, anoteverwa neshiri.A striking young woman draws admirers the way a fruit tree draws in...Mwana mudiki in’anga.Children often blurt out the plain truth without meaning to, the way...Mwana muduku kubvuma rwendo rwake ruri mberi.The young need to accept that they still have a great deal of...Mwana wengwe mwana wengwe kuona chikara haatizi.The children of the brave tend to inherit that same courage...Ndumudzani hadzidyi mundiro imwe chete.Rivals struggle to share and cooperate closely, even over the...Nhamo inhamo zvayo amai havaroodzwi.However severe hardship gets, there are lines that must never be...Nherera inoguta musi wafa mai.A mother's death marks the end of the care and provision her child...Nherera panorayirwa vana vevapenyu iwe inzwawo.An orphan must pick up guidance indirectly, listening in on lessons...Nhumbu mukadzi mukuru hairevi chayadya.A visible sign does not always reveal what really happened behind...Rinonyenga rinohwarara, rinozosimudza musoro rawana.Someone pursuing a goal tends to stay humble and quiet about it...Tsvimborume kutandara nemvana mwoyo uri kumhandara.Someone can appear engaged with one thing while their real interest...Ukama hahusukwi nemvura hukabva.Family ties cannot be erased by outside circumstances; they endure...Ukama hunonhuhwa.Family connections have a way of making themselves known, even...Ukama igasva hunozadziswa nokudya.Family bonds are strengthened through the simple act of sharing...Ukama urimbo kudambura haubvi.Family ties, once formed, cannot truly be severed, even when there...Umhandara idambakamwe.Certain stages in life pass only once and cannot be recovered, so...Unaki hwemukadzi huri pamwana.A woman's true worth is measured not just by appearance but by how...Urombo hune nherera kudya ikarutsa.Poverty pushes an orphan into real hardship, going without the...Vana vembwa havasvinure musi mumwe chete.Children of the same family do not all reach their milestones at the...Vana vengwena havakuriri mudziva rimwe chete.Siblings from the same family often end up scattered as they grow...Wabereka sekera muchitende.Joy over good fortune should be shown with restraint, not paraded...Wanzi baba wada kamusha kake.A person naturally puts their own household first, before anyone...Wekwemurume ndewe kwemurume.Property tied to a particular family or household stays associated...
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