nỏjåmăńo (45_Idioms & Fixed Expressions)
nỏjåmăńo
Pronunciation
IPA: /nou̯jau̯maɪɲo/
Lexical Classification
Category: Idiom Register: Religious, Philosophical (Dă Chỏ)
Semantic Field
Meaning & Nuance
The person saying this is preaching the spiritual or practical truth that it is unwise to put all of one’s resolve toward a single object of desire (“it”). Whether that object is a lover, a career, or a specific goal, the idiom warns that total fixation leads to imbalance.
Cultural Context
This phrase serves as the central motif of a primary religious prayer dedicated to the deity Dă Chỏ, emphasizing the necessity of fluidity and the danger of absolute attachment to finite things.
Etymology
| Component | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nỏ | not, don’t |
| jå | want, desire |
| mă | every, all |
| ni | toward, to |
| jo | it (inanimate) |
Note: The final syllable -ńo is a euphonic contraction of the relational particle ni and the inanimate pronoun jo.
Examples
Nỏjåmăńo tte onă ijù shá shánă. The creatures that say “it is unwise to put all of one’s resolve toward a single object of desire” are wise.