The Old Man's Horse

HSK 3 · 138 characters · Idioms for Beginners

An old man's horse runs away, but bad luck keeps turning into good luck.

从前cóng qián，有yǒu一个yī ge老人lǎo rén，他tā有yǒu一匹yī pǐ马mǎ。Long ago, there was an old man who had a horse.一天yī tiān，马mǎ跑走pǎo zǒu了le。One day, the horse ran away.

邻居lín jū说shuō：“太tài不好bù hǎo了le！”The neighbors said, "That's terrible!"

老人lǎo rén说shuō：“也许yě xǔ是shì好事hǎo shì呢ne。”The old man said, "Maybe it's a good thing."

几天jǐ tiān后hòu，马mǎ带着dài zhe一匹yī pǐ新xīn马mǎ回来huí lai了le。A few days later, the horse came back with a new horse.

邻居lín jū说shuō：“太好了tài hǎo le！”The neighbors said, "How wonderful!"

老人lǎo rén说shuō：“也许yě xǔ是shì坏事huài shì呢ne。”The old man said, "Maybe it's a bad thing."

后来hòu lái，儿子ér zi骑qí新xīn马mǎ，摔断shuāi duàn了le腿tuǐ。Later, his son rode the new horse and broke his leg.年轻人nián qīng rén都dōu要yào去qù打仗dǎ zhàng，儿子ér zi不用bù yòng去qù。All the young men had to go to war, but his son didn't have to go.他tā留在liú zài家里jiā lǐ，很hěn安全ān quán。He stayed home, safe and sound.

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“塞翁失马sài wēng shī mǎ”。This idiom is "the old man on the border loses his horse."意思yì si是shì：坏事huài shì可能kě néng会huì变成biàn chéng好事hǎo shì。It means: a bad thing may turn into a good thing.小李xiǎo lǐ丢diū了le工作gōng zuò，后来hòu lái找到zhǎo dào了le更好gèng hǎo的de工作gōng zuò，这zhè就是jiù shì塞翁失马sài wēng shī mǎ。Xiao Li lost his job but later found a better one — that's the old man losing his horse.