Can some one please decipher this phrase for me. My Igbo friend has stumped me and I am at my wits end!!! I have all the words I think, but I can't put it together.

"Mana onye kwe, chi ya ekwe; a tupugoro m gi bu nkita okpukpu n'ezi ka ogu buru nke gi na ndi mmuo"

Give me a sec to translate. . . .

"Mana onye kwe, chi ya ekwe;

its more like ----------------he that agrees or believe ,God will also believe or agree

a tupugoro m gi bu nkita okpukpu n'ezi ka ogu buru nke gi na ndi mmuo"

i have thrown for u (dog) d bone outside,let the battle be between u and spirits

MAYNE JENNY!!!!!
I had the second part translated but i was so confused about the first part.

onyinye2:

MAYNE JENNY!!!!!
I had the second part translated but i was so confused about the first part.

yea d first part is kind of complicating,its sthg i know too well but really don't know how to explain it,had to take my time to really translate it in d best way d poster can understand

Atleast it shows im making progress!!!
Maybe one day me and you can hold a conversation.

Btw, i thought "mana" meant "whether" or "that"?

I thank you for trying, that was kind of as far as I was getting with the second part, He played me with this one, but I am determined to have the correct answer and translation by tonight ;-), and mana can mean "whether, that, if, or but" I think

aesthetic:

I thank you for trying, that was kind of as far as I was getting with the second part, He played me with this one, but I am determined to have the correct answer and translation by tonight ;-), and mana can mean "whether, that, if, or but" I think

Oh thanks!

So are you learning to speak Igbo too?

onyinye2:

Atleast it shows im making progress!!!
Maybe one day me and you can hold a conversation.

Btw, i thought "mana" meant "whether" or "that"?

it can be also be "but"

example------mana cherekwe ooooooo (meaning-----but wait oooooo)

Yes I am, just beginning to learn the language and it is throwing me for a loop, ;-)

aesthetic:

Yes I am, just beginning to learn the language and it is throwing me for a loop, ;-)

Yeah learning Igbo can be little frustrating but if you stick with, it is very rewarding at the end.

The problem people have with translating Igbo provabs is that in Igbo a word could mean so many things. The igbo word "chi" is always erroneously translated to be "God, or personal god." Although in most cases, "chi" means "God" or "god," but in the sense of the proverb in question, "chi" does not mean "God", neither does it mean "god", nor "personal god."

The proverb says:
"Mana onye kwe, chi ya ekwe"

"Chi" in this proverb refers to "fate." In Igbo one's "chi" can also mean one's fate. Example when the Igbos say that a person has a bad chi. "ajor chi" This could mean that that person has a bad fate or bad luck. In this case they don't mean that the person has a  bad God because God can never be bad. Igbos believe that God is always good--Chi di mma.

Therefore the proverb means:
If a man believes, his fate will believe too. If one agrees, his fate will agree too. As you believe, so will your fate.

I know this is had to understand but the proverb is a philosophy, not just a saying. It carries a deep meaning. The meaning is that one has to believe something in-order for that thing to become a reality in his/life. I,e if you believe that you will never become rich, this belief will make your fate accordingly and you will never become rich. But if you believe that you will oneday become rich, this belief will make your fate accordingly, and you will oneday become rich. 

The second proverb: "a tupugoro m gi bu nkita okpukpu n'ezi ka ogu buru nke gi na ndi mmuo," literalily translates:
I have thrown, you dog, your bone to the outside so that the battle will be between you and the spirits.

This means that I leave the matter in the hands of God or in the hands of fate. This proverb is used when people quarrel over something, then one decides to let the other have have it  in-order to end the quarrel. However the provabs indicates that even though the thing that you quarrel about has been given to you does not mean that you will have it in peace. I can decide to let you have my property for the sake of peace, but the battle continues between you and God. God or fate will never have my property in peace because it is not yours.

Thefore the proverb can be translated to:
I have given you what you claim to be yours, the rest is between you and God.
I have given to you what you want, the issue is now between you and God.

The Igbos are great philosophers!

Justcool,

I agree with all you said but I have something to clear/add.

The second phrase means "I have done my part, you do your own bit". Bone more or less, rightly belongs to the dog so, you are giving the dog what is he's but he would have to wrestle it out with the spirits, which are assumed to have interest too. You remember the addage that says, "God feeds all birds, but He does not bring it to their nests"

Just like saying, "I have given you the business card, the rest is up to you"

@all, "mana" simply means "but"; it means nothing else.

whether = ma. Example - wether good or bad. Igbo - ma odi mma ma odi njo. Note "Ma" could also mean "or", depending on the context as could be seen in this example.

That = na. Example - Tell him[b] that[/b] I want to see him. Igbo - Gwa ya na A choro m ihu ya.

Cheers.

@Kashif
I agree with you. Your explanation of the second proverb is also right, but it does not mean that that is the only way to look at the proverb. There are so many ways to interpret that proverb and it can also be applied in many different cases. My explanation is one way to look at it, yours is another way; both are correct.
The proverb still holds water, whether the bone rightly belongs to the dog or the thrower, or whether it belongs to neither.
Thanks

Justcool is  . You are very correct.

Justcool/ Kashif,

I'm impressed. 

[b]The problem people have with translating Igbo provabs is that in Igbo a word could mean so many things. The igbo word "chi" is always erroneously translated to be "God, or personal god." Although in most cases, "chi" means "God" or "god," but in the sense of the proverb in question, "chi" does not mean "God", neither does it mean "god", nor "personal god."

The proverb says:
"Mana onye kwe, chi ya ekwe"

"Chi" in this proverb refers to "fate." In Igbo one's "chi" can also mean one's fate. Example when the Igbos say that a person has a bad chi. "ajor chi" This could mean that that person has a bad fate or bad luck. In this case they don't mean that the person has a bad God because God can never be bad. Igbos believe that God is always good--Chi di mma.

Therefore the proverb means:
If a man believes, his fate will believe too. If one agrees, his fate will agree too. As you believe, so will your fate.

I know this is had to understand but the proverb is a philosophy, not just a saying. It carries a deep meaning. The meaning is that one has to believe something in-order for that thing to become a reality in his/life. I,e if you believe that you will never become rich, this belief will make your fate accordingly and you will never become rich. But if you believe that you will oneday become rich, this belief will make your fate accordingly, and you will oneday become rich.

The second proverb: "a tupugoro m gi bu nkita okpukpu n'ezi ka ogu buru nke gi na ndi mmuo," literalily translates:
I have thrown, you dog, your bone to the outside so that the battle will be between you and the spirits.

This means that I leave the matter in the hands of God or in the hands of fate. This proverb is used when people quarrel over something, then one decides to let the other have have it in-order to end the quarrel. However the provabs indicates that even though the thing that you quarrel about has been given to you does not mean that you will have it in peace. I can decide to let you have my property for the sake of peace, but the battle continues between you and God. God or fate will never have my property in peace because it is not yours.[/b]

Thefore the proverb can be translated to:
I have given you what you claim to be yours, the rest is between you and God.
I have given to you what you want, the issue is now between you and God.

The Igbos are great philosophers!

You are right on the money. o bu nnagi muru gi!!!

@Aloy.Emeka

Thank you so much my friend!

Bia Jenny kwusi ikuzi igbo na imaghi asu , 

Onye kwe chi ya ekwe!! haahahhaaha Jenny you killed it.

Justcool did it.

Indeed Igbos are one great people i've not seen, and that is why if you get to any Country and you couldn't find an Igbo man better disappear.

Igbo people surely are. My mother cannot answer a question or make a point without a parable. I remember growing up we would make fun of her by making up our own proverbs. Some of the proverbs were also very funny but they will always leave you thinking. The one that always made me laugh is when she will say "hey my eyes have seen my ears today o". When I finally realised that it pretty much meant 'abomination' I wondered why she just would not say abomination then.

Idioms (esp igbo proverbs) are the palm oil with which words are chewed according to Chinua Achebe

igbo kwenu

Can someone help me translate this
Akwukwo n'atuto, ona aralu na muta onye nwere Akwukwo oga muta Akwukwo ma oburu na nne gi na nna gi nwere ego