proverb · Legacy record
A child’s fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which his mother puts into his palm.
A child’s fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which his mother puts into his palm.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A mother handing a child hot yam without scalding imagines parental care shielding the recipient. The saying gives a trusted relationship an apparently protective role.
What the words are saying
A critical reading does not verify protection from heat or make a parent’s intention a safety guarantee. The precise traditional application is unverified, and the line is not feeding or burn guidance. A qualified interpretation can value attentive care without denying possible harm or assuming all parental acts are benign.
Everyday example
A reader distinguishes the image of trusted care from a claim that intention prevents physical injury.
When to use it
Use it only as a qualified care image, not physical guidance.
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What it does not mean
No heat protection, feeding procedure or guaranteed harmlessness of parental care is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Nigeria
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 669; PDF page 60; collection label: Nigeria
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Nigeria
