Complex stories and situations are concentrated in a few words and phrases which capture and retain the essential meaning of the experiences from which they derive in Ilu Igbo, hence, the use of Igbo proverbs (ilu), parables (ukabuilu) and idioms (akpaalaokwu), in every traditional setting has elevated the language to the status of a living art of popular communication.
Igbo language has several “dialects.” As a result, many of us may not immediately understand the meaning of proverbs owing to the perhaps strange dialect of words therein contained. As we become more acquainted with these dialects, we begin to appreciate our total inheritance as Igbo language speakers.
Reciting proverbs is as effective as not using them. Beyond the usual recitation, it is important to always know the appropriate event and time to use Igbo proverbs in order to communicate the appropriate message and achieve the desired result.
Below are some of the popular Igbo proverbs:
Igbo Proverb | Meaning(Literal) | |
Ura ga-eju onye nwuru anwu afo. | A dead person shall have all the sleep necessary. | |
Gidi gidi bụ ugwu eze. | Unity is strength | |
Chọọ ewu ojii ka chi dị | Make hay while the sun shines | |
Otu onye tuo izu, o gbue ochu | Knowledge is never complete: two heads are better than one. | |
Ihe ehi hụrụ gbalaba oso ka okuku huru na-atụ onu | Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. | |
Oge adighi eche mmadu | Time and tide wait for nobody. | |
Elewe ukwu Egbue ewu. | A buxom waist that makes her man(husband) kill a goat for her when he looks at it. | |
Ebe onye dara ka chi ya kwaturu ya. | Where one falls is where his god pushed him down. | |
Ihe di woro ogori azuala na ahia. | What was secret is revealed in the market place. | |
Ewu nwuru n'oba ji abughi agu gburu ya. | A goat that dies in a barn was never killed by hunger. | |
A chuo aja ma a hughi udele, a mara na ihe mere be ndimmuo. | If the vulture fails to hover at the end of a sacrifice, then you know that something happened in the land of spirits. | |
Si kele onye nti chiri; enu anughi, ala anu | Salute the deaf; if the heavens don't hear, the earth will hear. | |
A ma ka mmiri si were baa n'opi ugboguru? | Who knows how water entered into the stalk of the pumpkin? | |
Nwunye awo si na di atoka uto, ya jiri nuta nke ya kworo ya n'azu. | The female toad said that husband is so sweet that when she got married, she carried her husband permanently on the back. | |
Ugo chara acha adi(ghi) echu echu | A mature eagle feather will ever remain pure. | |
Onyeubiam adi(ghi) aza "Omeokachie." | An indigent does not take the title of "Omeokachie" (i.e. one who completes whatever he puts his hand to) | |
Eze mbe si na olu oha di mma, mana oriri oha na-aka ahu. | The tortoise said that many hands at work is enjoyable, but many mouths to feed can be embarrassing. | |
Eze mbe si na ihe ya ji-achiri ihe egwu ya aga njem bu maka ya ezu ndiegwu. | The tortoise said that it always travels with its musical instrument in case it meets other musicians. | |
O na-abu a si nwata wuba ahu, o saba afo ya. | Tell a child to wash his body, he washes his stomach. | |
Agwo emeghi nke o jiri buru agwo, umuaka achiri ya hie nku. | If a snake fails to show its venom, little kids will use it in tying firewood. | |
Onye a kporo apari, o na-ehi n'amanna ya, abughi apari. | A presumed fool who sleeps in his father's house is not a fool. | |
