Chengeta muromo kudya kuri mberi.
Restrain your mouth, food is coming later.
Tsanagudzo
Kana munhu akadarikwa nechinhu chaanga ava nevimbo kuti kana achiwana chave chake, anofanira kusaora moyo, mangwana achasangana nechimwe chakangofanana naicho chiya chakambomudarika.
What the Words Say
Restrain your mouth, food is coming later.
What It Means
One must not despair if they do not prevail today as there are greater possibilities ahead. A similar english saying is “good things come to those who wait.”
Cultural Context
Everyone now and again, when pursuing an important venture leading to realizable outputs, becomes expectant when the process nears its logical conclusion. However if this does not come to pass at that point, though it is common to lose heart, one must preservere and exercise patience in order to still realize their objectives. This lesson was passed on to us by elders using the imagery of the expectant mouth that has to wait a while longer before it can eat. Failure to eat today should not doom that mouth to not eating tomorrow.
How It's Used
The proverb is used to encourage patience and restraint to those who are too quick to want to enjoy the results of an endeavor that may have not fully materialized. It is also used to confront despair where one was expectant but now has to wait a little longer or preserver in order to achieve what they initially set out to achieve.