1.
the three wise monkeys (see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil)
The famous trio of monkeys covering their eyes, ears, and mouth, representing the maxim 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil'. Most strongly associated with the carving at Nikko's Tosho-gu shrine.
日光で三猿の彫刻を見た。
I saw the three wise monkeys carving in Nikko.
三猿の置き物をお土産に買った。
I bought a three-wise-monkeys figurine as a souvenir.
三猿は「見ざる、聞かざる、言わざる」という教えを表している。
The three wise monkeys represent the teaching 'see not, hear not, speak not'.
Also called 三匹の猿. The reading ざる} is a play on words: it sounds both like {猿 (monkey, voiced as ざる in compounds) and like the archaic negative ending ~ざる ('not doing'), as in 見ざる ('not seeing').
THE THREE PRINCIPLES:
- 見ざる: see no evil
- 聞かざる: hear no evil
- 言わざる: speak no evil
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
The most famous depiction is the 17th-century wood carving at 東照宮 in 日光. The motif has Buddhist origins and spread internationally, becoming a globally recognized symbol. Often used today to comment ironically on willful ignorance.