- English translation
Once two people share a secret, it starts to creep; once three share it, it opens the door and walks out.
- Literal wording
The secret: between two, it crept along; and between three, it opened the door and went out.
- Meaning and lesson
A secret is pictured as a living thing that grows bolder as more people hold it. With two people it already starts to stir and edge slowly forward; with three it stops creeping, opens the door, and leaves. Each new confidant speeds its escape, so sharing it even once is already a risk.
The saying pushes toward strict silence rather than careful sharing. It does not set a safe number of confidants. It suggests that the safest secret is one told to nobody at all. The two rhyming verbs, darag and kharag, give the saying its punch, setting the slow first creep against the final, unstoppable exit.
- When it is used
Fits moments when someone is about to confide in a friend, or when a confidence has been passed along. It works as a gentle warning to keep a matter wholly private, reminding listeners that every extra person who knows brings the secret closer to escaping.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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