METHALI ZA KISWAHILI

Cha kichwa kitamu, na cha mkia kitamu..If the head is sweet (tasty), the tail is sweet (tasty) too. (If the beginning was good, the end will be good, too.) 

Cha kuvunda, hakina ubani. Stench cannot be masked even by incense.(Once the reputation of a person has been ruined, it is difficult to set it right again.)

Cha kuvunja, hakina rubani.. That which is broken, has no helmsman. 

Cha mlevi huliwa na mgema.The drunkard's money/property/well-being is consumed by the palm-wine trapper.

Chanda chema huvikwa pete. A handsome/pretty finger gets the ring. 

Chema chajiuza, kibaya chajitembeza. A good thing/deed/word sells itself(is successful), a bad thing treads on itself(destroys itself).

Chema hakikai..A good thing does not stay long. (Happy days are a passing shadow. Good luck and happiness are fragile and short-lived.)

Chembe na chembe ni mkate.Grains added together make bread. (Small things add up) 

Chombo cha kuzama(kuvunja) hakina usukani(rubani). A sunk vessel(damaged) has no rudder(helmsman). What is predestined is inevitable. 

Chombo hakienda ila kwa nyenzo. A vessel does not sail without something propelling it.

Chombo kilichopikiwa samaki hakiachi kunuka vumba. A pot in which fish has been cooked cannot avoid a fishy smell.(Once tarnished, a reputation is ruined.) 

Chovya,chovya yamaliza buyu la asali. Constant dripping will empty the gourd of honey.(Little by little(waste)and it is gone)

Chui hageuki madoamadoa.A leopard does not change its spots.

Chukua maji, hata ukifikilie maji..Carry water with you until you find fresh water.

Chungu kibovu, kimekuwa magae. The pot with the defect has become a potsherd (a heap of fragments). (That which is poorly made is reduced to rubble. Poor planning leads to failure.)

Chungu kikuu, hakikosi ukoko.A cooking utensil which has been used for long usually has a crust at the bottom. 

Chunguni yaingiayo, ni mambo yatufaayo..Things which enter the collection(pile)(pot) are those which are useful for us.(We keep that which is useful to us.)