Ọkùnrin jẹ́jẹ́ a-bìwà-kunkun.
Character, appearance and the judgement of others
Original
Ọkùnrin jẹ́jẹ́ a-bìwà-kunkun.
Word-for-word gloss
- Ọkùnrin jẹ́jẹ́ a-gentle man a-bìwà-kunkun one-with-hard-character.
Idiomatic English
"An easygoing man's gentle mien hides a strong disposition."
Di source no name any translator.
Wetin e mean
A mild manner is not evidence of a mild character.
When dem dey use am
Owomoyela: "The quiet type is often a tough customer" A warning against underestimating someone.
Notes on di translation
The epithet a-bìwà-kunkun, one-who-has-hard-character, is again an oríkì-style formation, and here it functions as a title rather than a description. Kunkun is hard in the sense of unyielding, used of dried clay and stubborn people alike.