User:Onyinye Favour/Igbo Proverbs

Proverb is the oil Igbos use to eat words. When the elderly speaks without using proverbs, it looks like a child's talk. It is said that if one runs away from the elderly because of bad habits, such will not get wisdom. Proverbs is one of the characteristics of Igbo people. Also it is evident in Igbo dramas. It is important that an Igbo person should know how to communicate in Igbo Language and also understand everything about life because if snake does not behave like snake, children will use it as rope for firewood. Igbo proverbs increase knowledge by touching every sphere of life.

Living together in peace
Let there be harmony. He that says there shouldn't be peace should be ready for war.

Value every person in your life because when they are gone, you will realize their importance in your life.

He who wears a borrowed garment does not dance with much energy.

Neighbors don't know themselves.

Akidi said that he doesn't know the land boundaries.

When couples eat belly full and starts fight, those that haven't eaten will be better off than them.

There is no person that God didn't bless. It is the person that said his own is not enough.

Treat everyone equally.

A woman that respects people, her husband can not refuse her food.

Chicken said that he is not screaming for what is holding him to let him go but for the world to hear his voice.

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You will know a person where he is born.

When tortoise buys new clothes, he goes to meetings that doesn't concern him to settle case.

When a child lifts his father up, the cloth that covers the father will also cover the child.

He who holds a person holds himself.

When the house owner starts showing the visitor the yam remaining in the pot, he should realize that he has over stayed his welcome.

Greet the deaf, if he doesn't hear, the world would.

He who is wise in Aba is a fool in Abba.

The goat of the poor is his elephant.

"Our wife, our wife", when the night comes, we would know the wife of who she is truly.

If an in-law visits too often, he will be sent to fetch firewoods.

He who looks tattered to a burial ceremony would be asked to help the butchers to cut the meat.

When a child over sees his mother's friend, he will hit him with a cutlass one day.

The life of a fish is water. When water dries up, the fish will die.

Friendship is overlooking mistakes.

When an insane person carries 9 mad people and pass, all we know is that they are 10 mad people that just passed.

The vulture and the eagle do not fight over food. Vulture eats dead bodies, eagle carries something with full force.

He who has life is better off than the person with money.

When the in-law visits too much, he will be sent to fetch firewood

Value every person in your life because when they are gone, you will realize their importance to you.



Proverbs concerning Wealth, prosperity and poverty. banyere akụ na ụba na ịda ogbenye

 * He who owns a yam barn as wealth supposeto bring out time to visit his mother's people because it is not yam he will run to when trouble befall him.
 * A wealth person that does not eat his wealth, hasn't he seen the dead? When it reaches money, the poor becomes deaf.
 * Coconut said that a wealthy person eats food small small.
 * Chicken child said that from picking food, that how he feeds.
 * A goat that does in yam barn didn't die because of hunger.
 * A person that has foods will complain that cocoyam hurts his mouth.
 * The poor does not bear the name Omeokachie.
 * Whoever that it is well with should bury his father. It is not the first son that killed him.
 * Chicken feeds in the compound of the person it is close to his pot.
 * na achikota ji di ka aku n'uba kwesiri iweputa oge je leta ndi be’nne ya nihi na obughi ji ka oga agbakwuru oso ma o’rue mgbe nsogbu ga a’bia.
 * Ọ bụrụ na mmadụ achịkọta akụ na ụba n’erighị ihe, ọ hụbeghị ka o si dị onye nwụrụ anwụ?ọ bụrụ na okwu abaa na ego, onye dara ogbenye na agbachi nkịtị.
 * Aki oyibo si na onye bara ọgaranya na-eri nri obere obere.
 * Nwa ọkụkọ si na si'te na ịtụ nri obere ebe a na ebe ozo ka oji eri ju afọ.
 * Ewu nwuru n'oba ji abughi agu gburu ya.
 * Enweghi ego na'eme ede adi ụtọ dị ka ji.
 * Onye nwere ihe ọriri ọbụla na-ekwu na ede na agbakasi ya ahụ na akpasụ ya iwe.
 * Nwa ogbenye anaghi aza omeokachie.
 * Onye ọ dịrị mma kwaa nna, ọ bụghị diọkpara gburu ya.
 * Ọkụkọ na-akpa nri n'obi onye ohi nọ ite ofe nso.
 * Akụ bụ iro, nwata kpata akụ, ọ kpata iro.
 * na achikota ji di ka aku n'uba kwesiri iweputa oge je leta ndi be’nne ya nihi na obughi ji ka oga agbakwuru oso ma o’rue mgbe nsogbu ga a’bia.
 * Ọ bụrụ na mmadụ achịkọta akụ na ụba n’erighị ihe, ọ hụbeghị ka o si dị onye nwụrụ anwụ?ọ bụrụ na okwu abaa na ego, onye dara ogbenye na agbachi nkịtị.
 * Aki oyibo si na onye bara ọgaranya na-eri nri obere obere.
 * Nwa ọkụkọ si na si'te na ịtụ nri obere ebe a na ebe ozo ka oji eri ju afọ.
 * Ewu nwuru n'oba ji abughi agu gburu ya.
 * Enweghi ego na'eme ede adi ụtọ dị ka ji.
 * Onye nwere ihe ọriri ọbụla na-ekwu na ede na agbakasi ya ahụ na akpasụ ya iwe.
 * Nwa ogbenye anaghi aza omeokachie.
 * Onye ọ dịrị mma kwaa nna, ọ bụghị diọkpara gburu ya.
 * Ọkụkọ na-akpa nri n'obi onye ohi nọ ite ofe nso.
 * Akụ bụ iro, nwata kpata akụ, ọ kpata iro.
 * Enweghi ego na'eme ede adi ụtọ dị ka ji.
 * Onye nwere ihe ọriri ọbụla na-ekwu na ede na agbakasi ya ahụ na akpasụ ya iwe.
 * Nwa ogbenye anaghi aza omeokachie.
 * Onye ọ dịrị mma kwaa nna, ọ bụghị diọkpara gburu ya.
 * Ọkụkọ na-akpa nri n'obi onye ohi nọ ite ofe nso.
 * Akụ bụ iro, nwata kpata akụ, ọ kpata iro.

Proverbs concerning hardwork
is after one has secured the ground that he will start dragging or the matt. i offered s e to two gods, the gods will kill one person to complete theAkidi  sacrrfice. y
 * You can't get the corpse of the leopard at home.
 * He that works will eat.
 * A if market does not notice the absence of one person.
 * He that works in dry season is a will eat in raining season.
 * The world is like the breast of a cow, it will not produce milk if you don't press it.
 * It is the pear that made the king to like dust.
 * He who agrees, his God will agree.
 * Being hard-working is to have food to eat, prosperity is from God.
 * When a child gathers firewood more than his peers, it will be tagged that he fetch it from the evil forest.
 * When one wakes up is his morning.
 * A fish that sleeps will be swallowed by another fish.
 * The market one sells is the one he knows about.
 * A yam tycoon that stands up and cut his yam tail will sit to bring it out.
 * Won't use because of killing to avoid fight.
 * The quarrel between a he goat and the person that controls it is because he goat does not walk fast.
 * What the lion use as tongue is at the tip o￼of his Finger.
 * Nonchalant attitude made Uzu not to have a war weapon.
 * You can't detect bad market in the morning.
 * If all is well with the eagle, it wouldn't have come down to steal a baby chicken.
 * Only a soiled leg will eat what it desires.
 * The vulture said that if the baby his wife gave birth to is alive, he will have a child but if he is died he will have food to eat.
 * Procrastination kiIlls the lazy.
 * It is
 * A kernel that will produce oil must pass through the fire.
 * One mad man was asked to come and take his father's inheritance, he said that the one he has is the best.
 * When a baby chicken leaves his mother to fetch for food, the eagle will carry it.
 * ￼A crying chicken was once an egg.
 * It only a child that gives the elderly kernel seed that the elderly secures stone for.
 * The antelope told its killer to first wake him up from sleep before killing him, let's know if he the antelope will not escape.
 * The tortoise said that joint effort is good but eating people iss exhausting..
 * bụrụ na ih
 * Ọ bụrụ na ih nile diri egbe mma n'elu, ọ gaghị agbadata n'ala izu uriọm.
 * Ọ bụ naanị ụkwụ gbara apịtị na-eri ihe gụrụ ya.
 * Udele sịrị, na nwa nwunye ya mụrụ dị ndụ, ya enwee nwa; Ọ nwụọ anwụ ọ, ya enwe nri abalị.
 * Emesia, emesia bụ ọnwụ na-egbu onye ume'ngwụ.
 * Ọ na-abụ azọta ala tupu azọwa ute.
 * Aki ga-agba mmanụ aghaghị igabiga n'ọkụ.
 * Otu onyeara ka asị bịa kere oké ihe nna ya nwụrụ anwụ, ọ sị na nke o ji ka.
 * Nwa okuko uriọm hapụ nne ya kpawa nri, egbe eburu ya.
 * Ọkụkọ na-akwa ákwá nwere mgbe ọ bụ àkwá.
 * Ọ bụ naanị nwata na-eti aki ewegara okenye ka ọ na-azọtara nkume.
 * Mgbada sịrị onye chọrọ igbu ya buru ụzọ metee ya n'ụra, ma ya bụrụzia na ya ejighị ọsọ zọpụta onwe ya.
 * Mbe si na olụ ọha di mma, mana oriri ọha na-agwu ike.
 * E were otu ọkụkọ chụọrọ arụsi abụọ àjà, ha egbuo mmadụ mezuo ya.
 * Oké nkịta sịrị na ọ bụ anya ka ya ji eri àjà a chụrụ n'elu.
 * Mgbe nnukwu anụ ji apụta n'ọhịa bụ mgbe dinta sọrọ ngọngọ ọrụ.
 * Ụtụtụ bụ ahịa mana ehihie bụzi maka ekwurekwu.
 * Ụtụtụ bụ ahịa mana ehihie bụzi maka ekwurekwu.

Wise saying about death.

 * Death and fight is from God.
 * Kill because of anger and bury to avoid corpse smelling.
 * If death do not kill a student, he will surly be a teacher.
 * The world is a market, a buyer will one day go back home.
 * When a corpse agrees about it size, it will be buried on time.
 * It's the spirit that people worship kills them.
 * When you pray for an enemy to live, he will receive death.
 * He who kills his blood is not great.
 * A doubting Thomas will agree with difficulty.
 * If death did not kill a sacrificial yam, later it will grow back.
 * Death fears no one. It kills both the great and small.
 * The tree that kills the person is taller than the person.
 * Fertility said that it is better to take in after giving birth because death kills unawares.
 * He that kills another's child, will he take his own child to grave?.

Words of advice

 * What the elephant saw and ran, the fowl saw it and starts chucking it.
 * The ocean does not swallow the person he doesn't see his waist.


 * The desire to see it all made bullet to heat the monkey.
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 * It is not in every dance that one takes snuff.
 * The frog does not run in the afternoon in vain.
 * A child that dances to the beat (sụrụgede) of the spirit should realize that the beat is a dance of the spirit.
 * You don't use mere looking to know the maize that is ripe.


 * A child that is backed does not know that trekking is painful.
 * "My child do not die" My child do not die. If you want to die, die. If you do not die at home you will die outside.
 * "My child do not die" "My child do not die"... My child when you want to die, die. If you don't die inside the house, you will die outside.
 * When the elephant hits his leg on the ground, everyone will see his footprints.
 * There are different types of leaf in the forest but people goes into the forest to look for okazi leaf.
 * Chicken said that while it drinks water, it looks up because what kills it comes from up.
 * When a little child starts asking about what killed his father, what killed his father will kill him also.
 * Ọ bụrụ na nwatakịrị na amabeghi ihe jụ wa ese ihe mere nna ya, ihe mere nna ya na-eme ya.
 * A stubborn fowl hears well inside a boiling pot of soup.
 * When the head reject the advise given to it, when it is being cut off, the ear will follow it too.
 * The fly that enters the grave was killed by its own deafness.
 * When the eagle it's frog, it's beauty fades.
 * You kill the mosquito that petched on sparm sac genetly
 * ot fearful.
 * wụ́cha abụghị ụjọ.

A general say full of wisdom

 * No matter how clean you keep the anus, it will fart.
 * Twice will the gong call a great one. If not in life it will be in death..
 * He that listens to the voice of the elderly looks like one that listens from the gods.
 * A child is not shown the breast tip of his mother's breast.
 * If the deaf could not hear the sound of the harmattan, won't he also feel the cold?
 * Multitude is the pride of a king.
 * gwu eze.


 * A title holder that does not know what to say will say that others have said what he wanted to say.
 * One palm fruit seed does get lost inside fire.
 * One palm fruit seed does get lost inside fire.

All these proverbs is very important in Igbo land. Understand that as an Igbo person you have to learn Igbo proverbs and traditions.