若要人不知，除非己莫为
ruò​yào​rén​bù​zhī​chú​fēi​jǐ​mò​wéi

if you don't want anyone to know, don't do it

若要人不知，除非己莫为 若要人不知，除非己莫為 ruò​yào​rén​bù​zhī​chú​fēi​jǐ​mò​wéi
if you don't want anyone to know, don't do it
(proverb) The only way to keep a secret is not to do the deed; if you do something wrong, people will inevitably find out about it.
if you do not want others to know, do not do it yourself
the only way to keep a secret is to not do the deed in the first place; wrongdoing will eventually come to light

Cross-References

Referenced by