see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
1. proverb Be virtuous and morally upright in the face of any evil around one; do not allow oneself to be taken in or overwhelmed by evil. Typically embodied by three monkeys covering their eyes, ears, and mouth, respectively. I've always stood by my principles, standing firm in the face of those who would tempt me to wickedness. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
2. proverb To ignore or turn a blind eye to evil without taking action against it. A lot of people will decry human rights abuses, but as soon as correcting those abuses inconveniences their own lives in any way, they choose to see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
See also: evil, hear, no, see, speak
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
Prov. Ignore any evil that you come in contact with; be virtuous even though there is evil around you. (Often represented by three monkeys, one of which is covering his eyes, one his ears, and one his mouth.) Jill: Do you have any idea why Fred is staying in the office so late every night? Jane: Not me. Like the three little monkeys, I see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
See also: evil, hear, no, see, speak
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- evil be to him who evil thinks
- the evil one
- sepulchre
- a whited sepulcher
- a whited sepulchre
- curse (someone or oneself) for (something)
- curse for
- cursed
- not as black as (one) is painted
- not as black as you are painted