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若要人不知

ruòyàorénbùzhī
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 if you want others not to know (then don't do it yourself)
  2. 2 the only way to keep a secret is not to create it
  3. 3 opening half of a proverb about inevitable exposure

Examples

若要人不知，除非己莫为——做了坏事总会被发现。
Ruò yào rén bù zhī, chúfēi jǐ mò wéi — zuò le huài shì zǒng huì bèi fāxiàn.
If you don't want others to know, don't do it yourself — wrongdoing always comes to light.
他以为能瞒住，可若要人不知，除非己莫为。
Tā yǐwéi néng mán zhù, kě ruò yào rén bù zhī, chúfēi jǐ mò wéi.
He thought he could hide it, but if you don't want others to know, you must not do it.

Tips

history
The first half of a well-known proverb pair: 若要人不知，除非己莫为 — 'If you want others not to know, then you yourself must not do it.' The saying is preserved in a poem attributed to the Han scholar Mei Sheng (枚乘) 《上书谏吴王》: 欲人勿闻，莫若勿言；欲人勿知，莫若勿为 — a similar earlier formulation. The popular modern rhyme became proverbial through ballads and vernacular fiction.
usage
Always used with the closing line 除非己莫为. Common in proverbs about honesty and consequences — favored in parental lectures and anti-corruption editorials.

Stroke Order

若 ruò
要 yào
人 rén
不 bù
知 zhī