Monzen no kozou narawanu kyou o yomu
The boy in front of the gate reads scriptures not learned
We often hear stories about child prodegies who, listening to a song on the radio, are able to play it on the piano without having been taught. Though these stories may seem remarkable, similar occurances are happening every day on a smaller scale. Children are especially able to learn many things just by being around and watching adults.
The Japanese saying, “Monzen no kozou narawanu kyou o yomu” refers to a young boy who goes to a temple to do chores or work around the temple but is not given formal instruction. He may spend a lot of his time raking leaves, wiping down the floors, doing the shopping, or whatever but he is not given formal instruction. However, just by listening to the priest chanting the Buddhist scriptures every day, he is able to recite them himself—even though he never formally learned them.
This might be compared to the English sayings, “Learning by example” or “learning by osmosis.” This expression is normally used for learning something educational and not for things like a child picking up his parents' bad habits. A wife might learn about construction by listening to her carpenter husband discussing it with his coworkers. If you are a foreigner and speak Japanese to Japanese people, you will inevitably be complimented on how well you speak Japanese. This is almost always followed by asking you how you learned it. You can jokingly respond by saying, “Monzen no kozou narawanu kyou o yomu desu.” You can even shorten it and just say, “Monzen no kozou desu.” In other words, “I learned just by being around Japanese people and hearing it spoken.”
Usage note: Most Japanese sayings can be turned into complete sentences just by adding “desu” to the end. To add emphasis, add “desu yo”. To ask for agreements (think, “yeah,” “right,” “you know”), add “desu ne”.
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