What is the origin of the phrase “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”?
Unfortunately, no one knows for sure how it evolved. Because the saying is typically associated with Three Wise Monkeys (one covering his eyes, one covering his ears, and the other covering his mouth) it is believed that the saying may have its origin in a 17th century temple in Japan. The Nikko Toshogu Shrine, also known as the Sacred Stable, in Japan has a carving of three wise monkeys. Many scholars believe the monkeys were carved as a visual representation of the religious principle, If we do not hear, see, or speak evil, we ourselves shall be spared all evil. Others believe that the saying originated from a Japanese play on words. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, translated into Japanese is, mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru. The Japanese word for monkey is saru, and sounds very similar to the verb-ending zaru. It is easy to see how the saying may have originated from a fun play on words. The only problem with this explanation is that the three wise monkeys arent originally from
