Kuziva mbuya huudzwa
To know your in-laws can only be done by being told who they are.
Tsanagudzo
Ruziwo runobva kuna vamwe. Kuti uziwe zvimwe zvinhu unenge watodzidziswa kana kuudzwa nevamwe.
What the Words Say
To know your in-laws can only be done by being told who they are.
What It Means
Wisdom comes from others. All you know you were taught
Cultural Context
The proverb uses the obvious reality that one never gets to know their own relatives by their own. Mbuya (grandmother) here is used to represent wisdom and in Shona culture the grandmother was considered the primary source of wisdom and knowledge during the formative years.
How It's Used
The application of this proverb is both as a reminder and a call to someone seeking wisdom to engage others and particularly the elderly regularly to learn from their experience and knowledge. It is also a proverb that encourages intergenerational relations.