Oǹsìn ní ńmọ ìwà.
Where character shows
Original
Oǹsìn ní ńmọ ìwà.
Glosa literal
- Oǹsìn the-servant ní ńmọ ìwà is-who knows the-character.
Inglés idiomático
"The servant is best placed to know the master's character."
La fuente no nombra a ningún traductor.
Qué significa
The person who serves you sees what you are.
Se usa cuando
Owomoyela: "Those dependent on you can best tell what sort of person you are"
Notas sobre la traducción
Owomoyela's bracketed "the master's" is his supplement; the Yorùbá says only "knows character," leaving whose character unstated, and the hearer supplies it. The proverb is a claim about epistemic position: subordinates observe from an angle superiors cannot check.