How to Read “Three ordinary people are better than one Monju”
Hitori no monju yori sannin no takurada
Meaning of “Three ordinary people are better than one Monju”
This proverb means that three people thinking together, even if they’re foolish, will come up with better ideas than one exceptionally wise person alone.
It teaches that gathering multiple people to share opinions matters more than individual talent or ability.
People use this saying when facing difficult problems or important decisions. It encourages you not to handle things alone but to consult with others.
Even if you think the people you’re consulting are less capable than you, multiple perspectives can lead to unexpected solutions.
This teaching remains very practical today. Brainstorming with people who have diverse viewpoints produces more creative and useful ideas than relying on one expert’s opinion.
This approach is widely recognized in business settings. The proverb embodies trust in the power of collective intelligence.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is thought to be a paradoxical variation of the famous saying “Three people together have the wisdom of Monju.”
First, “Monju” refers to Manjushri Bodhisattva, the Buddhist deity of wisdom. In the Buddhist world, Manjushri represents the highest symbol of wisdom.
His name has become deeply rooted in Japanese culture as a synonym for “superior intelligence.”
“Takura” comes from the personal name “Takura,” which was used as a term for a foolish person. This expression spread among common people during the Edo period.
However, clear written records about this origin are scarce. It seems to have been passed down mainly through folk tradition.
The proverb’s charm lies in contrasting Manjushri Bodhisattva, who possesses supreme wisdom, with Takura, a symbol of foolishness.
One genius versus three ordinary people—which produces better answers? This question reflects a unique Japanese perspective on wisdom and talent.
The cultural background values collective power over individual excellence. This likely gave birth to the proverb.
It’s an expression born from common people’s real experiences, combining both humor and practicality.
Usage Examples
- Since three ordinary people are better than one Monju, let’s all share our ideas for this project
- Rather than leaving it to the director alone, three ordinary people are better than one Monju—we should include younger staff in the discussion
Universal Wisdom
The universal truth this proverb speaks to is the limits of human perception and the creative potential of groups.
No matter how excellent an individual is, one person’s perspective always has blind spots. We can only see things through the framework of our own experience, values, and thought patterns.
However, when multiple people gather, each views the problem from a different angle. One person points out what another overlooked, and unexpected ideas emerge.
This chemical reaction is the essential power of collective thinking.
What’s interesting is that the proverb says “even three foolish people.” This shows the insight that diversity of perspectives matters more than level of ability.
Three ordinary people’s imperfect opinions combined sometimes produce solutions more suited to reality than one genius’s perfect answer.
Humans are fundamentally imperfect beings. That’s precisely why we need to complement and support each other.
This proverb condenses the wisdom of humility and cooperation that humanity has acquired to survive.
Rather than aiming for perfection alone, imperfect people gather to seek the best solution. This attitude is the source of human society’s strength.
When AI Hears This
When three ordinary people gather, their mistakes cancel each other out. For example, in a weight-guessing quiz, one person’s guess skews “too heavy” while another’s skews “too light.”
Taking the average of three people causes these biases to offset, moving toward the middle—closer to the correct answer. Information theory calls this principle “noise averaging.”
What’s interesting is why three ordinary people are more stable than one genius. Geniuses have high accuracy rates, but when they’re wrong, they miss in uniquely large ways.
The more expert someone is, the more they stick to specific thought patterns. Meanwhile, three ordinary people make mistakes in scattered directions.
Errors randomly spread in all directions approach zero when combined. This uses the same mechanism as eliminating noise in communication technology.
Research on crowd prediction accuracy shows that averaging hundreds of amateurs often surpasses one expert. There’s one condition: each person must judge independently.
When they influence each other, everyone makes the same mistake, and noise cancellation stops working.
In other words, this proverb demonstrates the same principle as modern machine learning ensemble methods: diversity creates error-correction functionality.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the importance of humility and openness. Trying to find answers alone sometimes leads to isolation and narrow vision.
No matter how excellent you are, clinging to your own ideas makes you miss better possibilities.
In modern society, problems have become complex. One person’s knowledge and experience often can’t handle everything.
That’s why we need an attitude of listening to others’ opinions. This applies even to people you think are less capable than you.
Perspectives from people with different positions and experiences always contain value you haven’t noticed.
What matters is not seeing consultation as weakness. Rather, the ability to seek diverse opinions and integrate them to find the best answer is true wisdom.
At work or at home, don’t carry everything alone. Develop the habit of dialoguing with people around you.
The new discoveries born from this will surely enrich your life.
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