塞翁失马

Pronunciation: sài wēng shī mǎ Literal meaning: Old man loses horse

Origin & Usage

The Huainanzi tells of a man living out by the frontier, known ever since as the Old Man of the Frontier — 塞翁, from 塞, a border pass, and 翁, an old man. His horse (马) was lost (失), simply ran off. His neighbours came to console him and he asked how they knew it was not good fortune; the horse returned bringing a fine wild one. They congratulated him and he asked how they knew it was not disaster; his son was thrown from it and broke his thigh. They consoled him again — and when the frontier levies came, the lame son stayed home while nine in ten of the conscripts died. The saying is almost always given in full as 塞翁失马，焉知非福 — the old man lost his horse; how do you know it is not a blessing?

Examples

English: "Losing his job led him to find his true calling"

Chinese: 失业反而让他找到了真正的使命