Bí ayé bá ńyẹ ni, ìwà ìbàjẹ́ là ńhù.
Character formed and deformed
Original
Bí ayé bá ńyẹ ni, ìwà ìbàjẹ́ là ńhù.
Literal gloss
- Bí ayé bá ńyẹ ni if life is suiting one, ìwà ìbàjẹ́ corrupt character là ńhù is-what we grow.
Idiomatic English
"If life is being good to one, one is likely to act disgracefully."
No translator is named in the source.
What it means
Prosperity corrupts conduct.
Used when
Owomoyela: "Prosperity breeds temptations to misbehave" Said of someone whose manners have changed with their fortunes.
Notes on the translation
Hù, to sprout, is used of character throughout this set, and its use here makes corruption a growth rather than a lapse: comfort is the soil. The proverb is a warning to the fortunate and, said in their hearing, a fairly direct accusation.