expression, godan verb (-mu)
you learn, without realising it, from what is around you
Proverb meaning that constant exposure to an environment leads to learning, even without formal teaching. Often used to describe how children or apprentices pick up skills naturally.
Since I watched my father's work from childhood, I naturally picked up carpentry skills. It's exactly a case of 'a shop-boy near the temple gate recites sutras untaught.'
彼は一度も正式に英語を習ったことがないのに、海外ドラマを見ているうちに話せるようになった。門前の小僧習わぬ経を読むというやつだ。
He never formally studied English, but he became able to speak it just by watching foreign dramas. That's what they mean by 'you learn, without realising it, from what is around you.'