若要人不知，除非己莫为

若要人不知，除非己莫為
ruòyàorénbùzhī,chúfēijǐmòwéi
If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it (idiom). fig. If you do something bad, people will inevitably hear about it.

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 若要 ruòyāo if it's necessary (that); if somebody wants
2 人 rén person; people

classifiers: 個, 位
3 不知 bùzhī
  1. not to know
  2. unaware
  3. unknowingly
  4. fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc)
4 除非 chúfēi
  1. only if (..., or otherwise, ...)
  2. only when
  3. only in the case that
  4. unless
5 己 jǐ
  1. self
  2. oneself
  3. sixth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 shítiāngān
  4. sixth in order
  5. letter "F" or Roman "VI" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc
  6. hexa
6 莫 mò
  1. do not
  2. there is none who
=7 为 wéi
  1. as (in the capacity of)
  2. to take sth as
  3. to act as
  4. to serve as
  5. to behave as
  6. to become
  7. to be
  8. to do
  9. by (in the passive voice)
=7 为 wéi variant of 为 wéi