Tsumo starting with ZV

Shona Proverbs

• Zvaboora mwoyo tsuro (nherera) haiti ndaguta
• Zvaita sei dzvatsvatsva, kufamba wakatakura ura?It's a miracle to see someone doing something they are not known for.
• Zvaita sei kuti chembere yorasika / bere rorutsa imvi?How does it come about that an old woman goes missing and at the same moment a hyena brings up grey hair?
• Zvakanakira gwavava nomukadzi wake mubako / nokuti hakuna anoziva mumwe kuti ane makwatiA rock lizard and his mate are well matched in their cave, since neither one takes any notice of the other's scaly hide.
• Zvakarimwa navamwe mudyo / zvikazodyiwa navane boshweThose who do the labouring are often not the ones who enjoy what it produces; a few toil while many others live off the result. One person plants and another harvests.
• Zvamangwana zvinozivikanwa nebenziA sensible person finishes today's work today, knowing tomorrow may bring obstacles; only a fool claims to know what tomorrow holds and puts things off waiting for better conditions.
• Zvamina / hazvina mafi. (M)No grudge arises out of a person's own affairs. Where the planning and the doing were yours alone, the hurt that follows is yours alone to put up with, and there is nobody you would want to lay the fault on.
• Zvapachihwerure hazviendi kumba.
• Zvatosvorana / gonzo nachin'aiIt is unusual for people who normally get on well to start insulting one another, so when friends fall to quarrelling it startles onlookers.
• Zvatumwa wabvira / chembere kutumwa mutsago nashe, svike yopereka nendiroIt is a fine sight when an old woman, sent to bring the chief's headrest, arrives presenting it on a plate. Someone who goes far beyond what an errand required is angling for favour and thanks from the one who sent them.
• Zvigapu hazviburaniOne pot of relish cannot lift another off the fire; each must stand on its own. Obligations do not cancel one another out — one debt cannot be settled by pointing to another.
• Zvikomo zvemutunhu mumwe zvinotambidzana mhute.
• Zvikondorani ndizvo zviwadzani.
• Zvikoni-zvikoni / amai havaroodzwiWhat cannot be done simply cannot be done: a mother is not given away in marriage.
• Zvinakisi ndizvo zvikondori zvomwoyoThe things that please us most are the very ones that end in letting us down, once they are taken to excess.
• Zvine mashura / gudo kuputsika mumutiA baboon dropping out of a tree would be a strange thing to witness. In the same way, people are taken aback by a man who was once rich and is now so badly off that he begs, and such a turn of events points to great hardship in the land.
• Zvinhu zviedzwa / chembere yakabika mabweThings have to be attempted — even an old woman once put stones on to boil. Do not shrink from a difficulty before trying it; make your best effort first, and only let go once you have seen it cannot be done.
• Zvino munyu ndizvo zvinei / chidokohori chikagodyiwa wani?Why insist on salted relish when pounded groundnuts will serve just as well? Someone who knows hardship takes whatever comes and does not pick and choose.
• Zvinofa negore / mukonde kufa zisoThe mukonde tree's growing bud is slow to die because thorns shield it; likewise some people seem protected and long-lasting in their comfort.
• Zvinokona zviine hata / chembere ichikoniwa musoro wenzouOnly after she has tried, head-pad and all, does an old woman concede that an elephant's head is beyond her lifting.
• Zvinonyadza mutauri kuti mbudzi yaba nyama iyo imbwa iripoTo say the goat took the meat when a dog was standing right there brings shame on the one saying it.
• Zvinorema / zvinoda makonoHeavy or dangerous undertakings require strong, courageous people. Taking on something like a lion is not a job for the faint-hearted but for those with a steady nerve.
• Zvirema kusekana mundiro yenhopiCripples sit mocking one another over the same dish of pumpkin mash, though they share the very same condition.
• Zvirevo muto / zvinosevesanaSayings work like relish-gravy, each one seasoning the next; people well versed in proverbs quickly come to an understanding when they talk.
• Zviri kumvana / kubara mwana asina babaIt rests with the young mother herself whether she bears a child who has no father; the matter is hers to decide.
• Zviri musango zvinosekana / pfunye ikaona hoto inosekaThe creatures of the bush make fun of one another: the go-away bird laughs the moment it catches sight of a pelican. Those who are alike are quick to mock each other's appearance.
• Zviri pavanhu / matengu haafambi ogaWhatever occurs has some origin behind it; nothing comes about purely by accident.
• Zvita zvisiye mumera.
• Zviururwi zvinofara kana kondo afa zisoLittle frogs rejoice once the hammer-head bird has gone blind in one eye — those who are preyed upon take delight when the one who threatens them is impaired.
• Zviuya hazvirimisi. (hazviwanane)
• Zviuya hazviwananiTwo good things rarely come together: a woman raised in comfort seldom marries into comfort, and a clever wife seldom gets an equally clever husband.
• Zvoti mwana otsva kudumbu / amai votsva kumusana (muberekero hapachisina)If the child is burnt on the belly and the mother on the back, there is no way left to carry the child. When helper and helped are struck by the same affliction, neither can do anything for the other.