1.
monkey hill; monkey enclosure
A rocky, hill-shaped enclosure at a zoo where monkeys (typically Japanese macaques) are kept and displayed. A familiar sight at Japanese zoos.
動物園の猿山を見に行こう。
Let's go see the monkey hill at the zoo.
猿山のサルたちが毛づくろいをしている。
The monkeys on the monkey hill are grooming each other.
子供たちは猿山の前でずっとサルを眺めていた。
The children kept watching the monkeys in front of the monkey hill.
2.
hierarchy; pecking order (figurative)
Used figuratively to describe a small, hierarchical group where members jostle for dominance, likening human social dynamics to a monkey troop's power structure.
あの部署は猿山みたいだ。
That department is like a monkey hill (with constant power struggles).
猿山の大将になっても意味がない。
There's no point in becoming the boss of a monkey hill (king of a small pond).
狭い世界での猿山の争いに巻き込まれたくない。
I don't want to get caught up in petty power struggles in a small world.
A compound of 猿 (monkey) and 山 (mountain/hill). The literal zoo meaning is the primary one, but the figurative use — comparing hierarchical human groups to a monkey troop's dominance hierarchy — is culturally significant.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 猿山の大将: king of the monkey hill (big fish in a small pond)
- 猿山の{ボス}: boss of the monkey hill
- 猿山で餌をやる: to feed monkeys at the monkey hill
CULTURAL NOTE:
The expression 猿山の大将 is a well-known put-down meaning someone who wields authority only within a tiny, insignificant domain — similar to "big fish in a small pond" in English.