Chinokura chinokotama, musoro wegudo chave chinokoro

Mukurumbira nembiri yemunhu, pane imwe nguva pazvinopera.

What grows old will stoop; the skull of a baboon is now (usable as) a scoop.

All good things come to an end. With time all things will depreciate.

The proverb is based on the dwindling of fame and/or stature of days gone by. It skillfully portrays the way the baboon is said to walk or stand, which is a bent or stooped position. In the second part it suggest that the baboon’s skull was not always in the scoop-like formation it is today. Bringing these two aspects together on the ape, the proverb paints a picture of a once upright and well rounded baboon, who is unfortunate because we now only see the lost grandeur. The proverb insinuates that all this is due to no mean or deliberate act but merely a passage of time. Hence our elders observed that with time things will depreciate in value and stature.

The proverb is used to observe a change in circumstances for the worse and particularly over, or due to the passage of time. It is particularly useful when something of value has become worthless or when a person of important standing and stature has lost that standing and stature. Indirectly the proverb warns the young to enjoy their youth for there will come a day when they too will be aged and unable to do certain things or maintain a certain look.