A kì í ní ọ̀kánjúwà ká mọ̀; ará ilé ẹni ní ńsọ fúnni.
Where character shows
Original
A kì í ní ọ̀kánjúwà ká mọ̀; ará ilé ẹni ní ńsọ fúnni.
Word-for-word gloss
- A kì í ní ọ̀kánjúwà one does-not have covetousness ká mọ̀ and know-it; ará ilé ẹni the-people of-one's-house ní ńsọ fúnni are-who tell one.
Idiomatic English
"One does not know that one has covetousness; it is one's kin who so inform one."
Di source no name any translator.
Wetin e mean
A person cannot see their own greed. Only the household can.
When dem dey use am
Owomoyela: "Often, only those close to one can recognize and point out one's flaws"
Notes on di translation
Ọ̀kánjúwà is covetousness or greed, from kán ojú, roughly "the eye is sharp for." The proverb makes the household the organ of moral perception, which is consistent with the Yorùbá location of moral formation in the compound rather than in the individual conscience. It also licenses a specific speech act: a relative may tell you this about yourself, and you may not resent it.