Have you ever had a blessing in disguise? Coming from a Chinese-American household, it is not uncommon to have Chinese idioms incorporated into everyday scenarios. Whenever something bad happens to me, my mother may tell me the story of “塞翁失马“ to comfort me. This is the story behind this idiom:
In ancient China, near the edge of the Great Wall, there was an old man named Sai Weng. Two of the things closest to him in his life were collecting rare breeds of horses and his beloved son.
One day, his good horse had suddenly disappeared after a servant left a stable door open. All of his neighbors, relatives, and friends, came up to him and consoled him for his loss. However, the gentle old man was not upset. He explained to his neighbors that losing the horse wasn’t necessarily bad luck. There was no way to predict that the horse would escape, it just happened, and now there was nothing that could be done about it. “There is no reason to be upset,” said the old man. The neighbors soon realized that there was nothing they could do to help get the horse back, and that they shouldn’t feel sad for the old man’s misfortune. He was not anxious, and smiled and said: “If the horse is lost, how can we tell if this is not a good thing?”
A few months have passed. One day, the old man’s lost horse actually returned and even brought back a good horse: a rare and valuable mare. This incident blew the whole village and people congratulated the old man. But the old man, Sai Weng, was not happy. He said to everyone: “What can be congratulated, who can expect this is not a disaster!”
A few days later, the only child of the old man was riding on the good horse. The horse, unfamiliar with its new owner, ran wildly, slammed the young man down and wrestled his leg. She landed on the son’s leg, and broke his leg, so that he would always walk with a limp. People heard once again and came to comfort the elderly. But the old man was still not anxious. He even said that this might be a good thing! At that point, many of his neighbors and close friends thought that he was crazy and decided to leave him alone. Soon after, a war broke out on the border near the residence of Sai Weng. A draft was sending young people into the front fighting line of the army. There was a ninety-nine percent casualty rate. Nonetheless, the young man’s son was allowed to stay at home because he was physically disabled.
The moral of his story is that when a bad event happens, that does not necessarily mean that the long-term results are disastrous. Also, in the same way, a stereotypically good event can bring about bad fortunes. So, the next time you think that something unlucky or lucky happens, do not be too depressed or overjoyed. Go with the flow and take life one step at a time.
Sources:
http://legacy.ymaa.com/articles/stories-proverbs/blessing-in-disguise
http://www.readers365.com/chengyu/mydoc118.htm
I love this story! When ever I feel unlucky, I always think of this folk tale. It is such an inspiration to people all over the world that life has its ways.
我很喜欢你写的作文，塞翁失马焉知非福，这个故事告诉我们，一时虽然受到损伤，反而也因此能得到好事，指定坏事在一定的条件之下也可以变为好事。
Just riveting Jennifer! “A blessing in disguise” is always hard to cope with at first, but this Chinese folktale has taught me that in the face of adversity to always stay hopeful. Somethings may have unfortunate immediate results, but they may work out for the better in the end. It’s awesome to see that such a famous saying has a Chinese background.
I feel that we all need to learn from Sai Weng, specifically his morals and ethics. What a great way of presenting those, Jennifer. You did a great job, just like all of your other articles.
I love this story, I have heard this story since I was a kid and my mom would remind me that I have a lot to learn from this story and I almost forgot about it, so thanks for reminding me of the story and that we should all learn from this.
Great article! I especially liked the folk tale that you chose to share with us. It is so very interesting how people of many nations used folk tales to help teach life lessons.
This was an extremely inspiring story. Well done! Next time I’ll be sure to keep this story in mind, knowing that things might turn around in the end. Similarly, I’ll be sure to not get my hopes too high too soon, I might just jinx my luck…hehe~
This is by far the most positive story I have ever heard! I will never again expect things to turn out any way! Thing could be good, things could be bad, it is beyond our control, but we can at least stay positive!
塞翁失马焉知非福是我们从小都听到大的一句话， 他教育我们在失去不要着急放弃，因为失去一些东西对你来说并不一定是坏事，我们需要保持冷静，沉着分析情况再来决定自己应该做些什么。
I remember someone telling me this story to remind me to always stay hopeful. This is such a great story and I love how it goes with the monthly theme of hope or resiliency.
Just read this story. It surprised me a lot!
我非常喜欢你的文章和这个故事。塞翁失马，焉知非福是个十分有名的成语典故，他告诉我们人一定要积极向上，任何事情都有两面性，即使是不好的事情也可以向好的方向发展。
I really enjoyed this story, and it showed me that I should always stay hopeful! Thanks so much for sharing this story with us, Jennifer!
Woah crazy plot twists! Good job at illustrating the story and explaining how the negative things in life may actually turn out to be positive.
This story is so fun and interesting. It was so cool to read about a Chinese folktale. Great job!
This story tells such a great message: To always remain calm under hardships. Great job illustrating the story and describing the balance of life. Keep up the great work!
Wow, nice job Jennifer! I really enjoyed this story, and it helped me learn more about the Chinese culture.
Great article, Jennifer! I’ve never heard of this folktale before, so it was great to learn about something new. I was originally surprised by the old man’s reaction, but I was glad to learn that it all worked out in the end. The moral of the story is a very important lesson for everyone to learn. Great job!
“塞翁失马，焉知非福”是中国非常经典的一句谚语。这则谚语提醒我们任何事物都有两面性，我们应该从多角度考虑事情。你的文章很棒，我很喜欢。
This story taught me such an important message! For now on I will always remember this story whenever a misfortune may occur.
I have never heard of this folk tale before so it was very interesting to read. There was an unexpected ending and a moral that seemed to be very true. Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
I’ve heard of many Chinese folk tales but not this one. I really enjoyed reading this and learning about the moral of the story. Thanks for sharing
This story tells us that bad things happening in your life aren’t necessarily bad because in some occasions, they might be a good thing in the end. I think it’s a really good story and hopefully this will encourage me whenever bad things happen in my life.
This story is really inspirational and teaches everyone to not take things at face value. It helps us learn about the balances of life. Very cool story.
This is such an interesting story, Jennifer. It’s so interesting to compare and contrast cultural differences between the U.S. and China, and specifically this tale perfectly illustrates this.
Wow, what an interesting article! This story goes to show that not everything is as it seems. It teaches us not to overreact and see how things play out before making a conclusion. Great article! Keep up the great work, Jennifer!
“塞翁失马，焉知非福”是从下就朗朗上口的一句话，知道今天我才了解到它的意思。这局话告诉我们所有东西都是有两面性的，你所看到的坏，不代表它一定是坏的，它也有可能是好的，所以我们应该从多个角度去思考问题。
塞翁失马，焉知非福 这个故事告诉我们，事情都有两面性，我们不能因为眼前的事就判定他是好是坏人生路上总是充满转机。
I loved this article Jennifer! It’s so interesting hearing Chinese folktales that have a hidden message to them. I think that Sai Weng is very wise to not be too happy or too sad when something god or bad happens. He enjoys the moment and takes life one step at a time. Thank you for sharing this article!
Thank you so much for sharing! It is really interesting to compare the different folk tale stories of different cultures. Great lesson too!
Great Job Jennifer! I thought that the story was very interesting and different from typical stories and I especially like the ending! Thanks for sharing
Wow, nice job Jennifer! I really enjoyed this story. This teaches us not to be sad or angry when bad things happen, but rather wait patiently and see if good things turn out.
Nice article, Jennifer! I really enjoy reading 塞翁失馬. This folktale taught me an important lesson. Don’t be unhappy because something horrible happened. I have heard of many folktale, but I actually never heard of this one. This folktale was really interesting.
I never heard about this folklore! It sends such a good message. A lot of good can come out of a bad situation
This is very interesting. This Chinese folktale has taught me that in the face of adversity to always stay hopeful.
I’ve heard of this folklore before! My grandma told me this story when I was young, though I still remember it. Thank you for helping me relive this story.
塞翁失马是中国非常经典的一句谚语。这则谚语提醒我们任何事物都有可能发生，不管是好是坏，这篇文章写的很好，我很喜欢。
塞翁失马焉知非福，从小就听到大人们在口口相传。小时候就知道他的意思，但是并不知道这段话背后的故事。今天有幸看到这篇文章了解这个故事，感觉不错
This was my first time hearing this story but it is so healing. You never know when if it is a misfortune, the next second you can be glad because of it
I like this article because I have never heard a Chinese folk tale before. I like how this story tells people that 1 bad thing isn’t the end of the world.
I did not know that this story (as my parents never told me much folk lore back when I was younger) and this is very cool to learn because it is an uplifting story about how misfortunes can be a good thing.
This is a very interesting story! I never heard of it and now I know what the story is about. I learned a great lesson from this story.
Wow, I like that the moral of this story goes both ways. Good luck can become bad luck, and vice versa. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this story. I have never heard of this before and it was interesting to learn about it! It taught me about how good luck can turn bad and the other way around.
Wow what a story. I really love the moral of this story, excellent job on the full description.
塞翁失马焉知非福，在我看来，这个词的意思是对于未来，不要太过悲观，也不要太过乐观，踏踏实实走好每一步就好了！不要想太多也不要有太多后悔，其实一切都是最好的安排。
我这里有一个小小的例子： 有一个人在打猎过程中与野兽搏斗，失去了一根手指。后来误入食人部落领地，要被杀死在祭坛献祭。结果部落人发现他少了一根手指，便认为把残疾人献祭不虔诚，就没有杀他。
有可能你失去了许多却收之东隅，也有可能本来你得到很多却因此殒命
来世不可知，往事不可追，所以不要太悲观，也不要太乐观，走好每一步就好了！
Before reading this, I never knew about this folk story. By reading, I was able to learn about morals such as “Go with the flow and take life one step at a time.” Nice job!
Great story. I love reading about Chinese Folk Tales. This story is very relevant especially with all of the negativity in our culture right now. I agree with your assessment – it is best to go with the flow and take life one step at a time. This folk tale took so many twists and turns that I did not know what was going to happen next. It truly kept me on the edge of my seat.
这个故事告诉我们，人一定要积极向上，乐观开朗，因为你有时候不知道这件事到底会带来什么。人的心态,一定要好,任何事情有好的一面和不好的一面,不好的一面,是有可能向好的一面进行转化。我就是需要一个好的心态，让自己每天的生活开心一些！
Wow, I never thought that this idiom had such a backstory so that’s cool and interesting to learn.
Very interesting arctice. I get dejected a lot and I stayed that when way when I did, but this article changed my viewpoint. Thank you for whoever posted this. Once again, very interesting and inspirational story!
我觉得有些时候事情不应该望坏的方向，应该望好的方向想.一定要乐观面对一切发生的事情，可能像老翁因祸得福.
我非常喜欢塞翁失马这个小故事，因为每次阅读它我都会觉得受到了一些鼓励。我经常会因为自己的不幸运非常难过。而这个故事教会了我一时的不幸并不会决定什么，失去的东西总会伴随着一些回报。坏的事情也一定会有好的一面，只是并没有被发现。我应该学会去寻找这好的一面，而不是一味的陷入悲伤。感谢您分享这个故事！
塞翁失马焉知非福这一个故事启发了我们对好事和坏事的看法就像太极阴阳一样两者并存着。我们的生命不就是如此吗，出生在这个高文明的五彩斑斓的世界里，我们可以看到耀眼阳光从玻璃中透射进来，听的见鸟儿的歌唱，享受快乐和幸福。但于此相反，我们的亲人会一个个的离开我们，贫困和饥饿折磨着人们，最终我们自己都会离开这个恋恋不舍的世界。