Nzambiringwa kumera munyemba zvanzi ndava nyembawo

Munhu murombo akagara, kana kunzwana navapfumi, anozviitawo munhu akapfuma nyamba kuzvinyengedza chete.

When a fruit bush grows among beans, it begins to think that it is also beans.

When the poor associate themselves with the rich, they think they are also rich.

Fruit bushes are quite common in Zimbabwe but usually grow like wild plants. Sometimes these can grow in ploughed fields and when among beans they may look similar. In this case the ploughed field, which will be weeded occasionally for the bean plant may be seen as similar to the favoured or privileged situation. Hence our elders were mocking the fruit bushes for thinking that its association with the beans led to it believing that it can now also be considered as beans. Sometimes people get caught up in aspiring to be like people who they associate with and begin to pretend to be like them yet it takes more than association. At the same time there is nothing wrong with being proud to be who you are. In this way our elders were teaching us to not be ashamed of who we are.

This proverb is used to mock pretentious people who feel they can use their association with people to attain a similar status. While the proverb is mostly used for poor people who feel they can be considered rich by association, it can refer to any situation where one uses association to fit in.