Oǹsìn ní ńmọ ìwà.
Where character shows
Ìpilẹ̀
Oǹsìn ní ńmọ ìwà.
Ìtumọ̀ ọ̀rọ̀-sí-ọ̀rọ̀
- Oǹsìn the-servant ní ńmọ ìwà is-who knows the-character.
Ìtumọ̀ Gẹ̀ẹ́sì
"The servant is best placed to know the master's character."
Orísun náà kò dárúkọ ẹni tí ó túmọ̀ rẹ̀.
Ohun tí ó túmọ̀ sí
The person who serves you sees what you are.
Ìgbà tí a ń lò ó
Owomoyela: "Those dependent on you can best tell what sort of person you are"
Àkíyèsí lórí ìtumọ̀
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.