I recently read an article that referenced the maxim of the Three Wise Monkeys. Now I've had a fascination with these 3 clever little monkeys since I was a young boy, so it didn't take much for me to start researching the origins and meaning behind them.
It is important to note that different historical references have actually shown the three monkeys in various orders which may subtly change the interpretation and potentially the meaning behind their visual message. Perhaps the change in order can even explain some of the confusion and debate that has raged for many years about the exact meaning.
Most commonly the order is quoted as: "Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil", however the oldest recorded reference actually puts the order as: "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Do No Evil". That's right, "Do No Evil".
The actual story of the three monkeys has developed and now revolves around the maxim of "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil", represented by 3 monkeys; one monkey covering his eyes (Mizaru), one covering his ears (Kikazaru) and one covering his mouth (Iwazaru). In fact in some depictions there is actually a fourth monkey (Shizaru) who "does no evil", symbolized by a monkey crossing his arms or covering his abdomen.
The first depicted representation of the three monkeys enacting this maxim is a 17th century carving over a door of the Tosho-gu shrine in Nikko, Japan. However the original source of the fable is more likely Chinese in origin from a Confucius phrase: "Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety". This phrase was written in the "Analects of Confucius" circa 470 BC and predates any known depictions of the monkeys.
So why use the depiction of the Three Wise Monkeys at all?
It is actually easy to understand why monkeys were used for this phrase. The origin of the monkeys comes from when the phrase was translated into Japanese and the obvious play on words that was used. "Mizaru", "Kikazaru", "Iwazaru" and "Shizaru" literally translate as "don't see, don't hear, don't speak and don't do".
In Japanese, "zaru" an archaic verb conjugation in the negative (ie don't) is vocalised in the same way as the suffix for "monkey" (saru), so when the phrase was translated someone used the clever play on words, relating it back to monkeys doing these actions (monkey see, monkey hear, monkey do) which is another well known phrase and variation of the same theme more commonly quoted as "Monkey see; monkey do".
However it started, there is no doubting the longevity of the maxim, the value behind the meaning or how widely known it has become.
As to the exact meaning of the phrase, well that is a point long debated. I tend to think it was meant to represent the power we can have over evil. If we do not allow evil to speak to us, ie influence us ("hear no evil"), if we do not allow those evil acts that we see to change us ("see no evil") and if we do not perpetuate the evil that we are exposed to ("speak no evil") then it will have had no power over us.
There are many possible meanings and we'll probably never know exactly what was meant, but if you can take something positive from this visual maxim of the 3 monkeys then whatever your interpretation, it is surely a good one.
If you have a different meaning for the phrase portraited by the 3 monkeys: "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil", then post it below!
