Moyochena wei, tsvimborume kubvisa mwana wemvana madzihwa?

Hapasi pose pekuti munhu anoyamura umwe munhu pasina chaanenge achiva. Dzvimwe nguva muyamuri anenge ane zvaateya muruyamuro rwaarikupa naizvozvo gara wakachangamuka.

What sort of kindness is it in a bachelor to wipe the nose of a young woman's child?

Sometimes people have ulterior motives for providing assistance or giving favours that may seem free.

The proverb is based on the belief that if a single man does favours to a child of a single mother, there is something that he wants from the mother which is presumably her desire. Single men usually shy away from young kids let alone wipe their noses. The key element in the proverb is the assistance is provided to the child and not the mother which brings in the cunning element of pretending not to assist the mother directly. It is imperative upon the one receiving the favour at that time to question the motives or accept that they may owe a favour back.

The proverb is meant to keep one on their guard when they suddenly start receiving indirect assistance or favours they do not understand. While literally it is a warning to women of the beguiling nature of men, in the symbolic sense it affirms that indirect favours or free assistance is often the most dangerous because it is hidden and laced with benefits that accrue to the giver at a later stage. Hence the application is largely in questioning a hidden motive in a seemingly harmless or free favour.