How to Read “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears”
Hiru ni wa me ari yoru ni wa mimi ari
Meaning of “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears”
“In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” means that people are watching and listening day and night, so wrongdoing will always be discovered.
During the day, it’s bright and people’s eyes are alert. When night falls and darkness comes, the silence sharpens people’s hearing. Sounds and voices carry far in the quiet.
In other words, someone is always watching or listening, no matter when or where.
This proverb serves as a warning to those who might do wrong. It challenges the naive thought that “it’s okay because no one is watching.”
It warns that secrets will always come to light. People also use it when they witness injustice, saying “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears, you know.”
This reminds others that the truth will eventually be revealed. In modern society, surveillance cameras and social media record people’s actions more than ever.
This makes the proverb’s teaching increasingly relevant.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb. However, we can make interesting observations from how the phrase is constructed.
The expression “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” cleverly captures the characteristics of human sensory organs.
During the day, it’s bright, so vision becomes the most important sense. People walk outside and can observe each other’s actions with their eyes.
At night, darkness surrounds everything and vision becomes less useful. But in the stillness of night, sounds travel well and hearing becomes sharp.
Noises and voices carry much farther than during the day.
This contrast doesn’t just describe differences in senses. It contains a warning that someone is always watching or listening, day or night.
During the day, people’s eyes are alert. At night, even when hidden in darkness, ears catch the truth.
In other words, wrongdoing cannot be hidden at any time of day.
During the Edo period, townspeople lived in crowded tenement houses called nagaya. Neighbors’ activities naturally came to everyone’s attention.
In such a social environment, this proverb held special persuasive power. It was passed down as wisdom for maintaining morality in a community where people’s watchful eyes always existed.
Interesting Facts
A similar expression exists: “Heaven knows, earth knows, I know, people know.” This comes from a Chinese story from the Later Han dynasty.
It’s attributed to Yang Zhen, who refused a bribe. While “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” emphasizes human surveillance through sensory organs, “Heaven knows, earth knows” emphasizes the spiritual aspect.
It suggests that heaven, earth, and one’s own conscience are watching.
Japan has other expressions linking time periods with senses. The proverb “Walls have ears, screens have eyes” also warns that you never know where someone might be listening or watching.
But this one focuses on place. While “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” divides along the time axis, this expression divides along the spatial axis.
Usage Examples
- That company’s accounting fraud was eventually exposed. In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears.
- I thought no one was watching when I slacked off, but my boss saw me. This is exactly what “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” means.
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” has been passed down because of a fundamental structure in human society.
People cannot live alone. They always exist in relationships with others. For society to function, a system where people monitor each other’s behavior is necessary.
What’s interesting is that this proverb doesn’t speak of punishments or laws. It describes the existence of natural surveillance.
No one is intentionally monitoring. Simply by living their normal lives, people’s eyes see and ears hear. This “unintentional surveillance” becomes the most powerful deterrent.
Humans have desires to take it easy or gain advantages when no one is watching. But they also have social desires to protect their reputation and trustworthiness.
This proverb appeals to the latter desire. By confronting people with the fact that “your actions will always be known by someone,” it encourages self-restraint.
This proverb also offers comfort to victims. When you witness injustice or wrongdoing, justice may not come immediately.
But the words “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” give hope that the truth will always come to light.
This proverb contains the belief that justice will ultimately prevail, even if it takes time.
When AI Hears This
Shannon, the founder of information theory, proved that “redundancy” is necessary to transmit information reliably. You need multiple pathways.
This proverb represents exactly the redundant surveillance system that human society naturally created.
During the day, the channel capacity of visual information is overwhelmingly large. People can observe facial expressions and movements in bright places.
They can process about 10 million bits of visual information per second. At night, vision is limited but hearing sensitivity increases.
In quiet environments, the direction and content of sounds become clear. Conversations that would go unnoticed during the day become completely audible.
In other words, the primary information channel switches depending on the time of day.
What’s important here is the design where if one channel stops functioning, the other compensates. In communication engineering, this is called “diversity.”
It’s the same principle as having multiple cell phone base stations. It dramatically reduces the probability of transmission failure.
Even more interesting is that human memory and the desire to communicate add “amplification” to the information.
Research shows that information seen or heard by one person is transmitted to an average of 2.5 other people.
In other words, the dual channels of day and night combine with the amplification effect of human networks. The probability of secret leakage theoretically approaches nearly 100 percent.
A structure where information inevitably leaks is built into society.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is that “integrity is the easiest way to live.” If you lie or commit wrongdoing, you must use enormous energy to keep hiding it.
Living in fear of when you’ll be exposed or who knows is more exhausting than you can imagine.
On the other hand, if you live honestly and with integrity from the start, you have nothing to fear.
Whether there are eyes in the day or ears in the night, you can remain confident. This peace of mind may be what the proverb truly wants to convey.
In modern society, information transparency is increasing more and more. With the development of social media, corporate scandals and individual wrongdoing spread instantly around the world.
That’s why genuine integrity is required, not superficial appearances.
When you make a decision, ask yourself: “Would I be embarrassed if this became news tomorrow?” If the answer is yes, you can proceed with confidence.
The truth that “In the day there are eyes, in the night there are ears” is not a chain that binds you. It’s a light that illuminates the right path.
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