What's the difference between these two Chinese idioms?
因果报应 (karma) means actions have inevitable consequences, while 塞翁失马 (old man's horse) means outcomes aren't what they seem. Moral causation vs situational irony.
yīn guǒ bào yìng
“Good and evil deeds repaid in kind”
Literally: Cause and effect return
Cause (因), effect (果), and the returning repayment (报应). The vocabulary is Buddhist and entered Chinese with the translated sutras, bringing with it a moral mechanics quite different from the older Chinese idea of heaven's mandate: consequence here is impersonal, exact, and not necessarily settled w...
Example: His kindness to others eventually came back to benefit him
Chinese: 他对他人的善意最终回报到了他身上
sài wēng shī mǎ
“Misfortune might be a blessing”
Literally: Old man loses horse
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 return...
Example: 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
| Aspect | 因果报应 | 塞翁失马 |
|---|---|---|
| Pinyin | yīn guǒ bào yìng | sài wēng shī mǎ |
| Literal Meaning | Cause and effect return | Old man loses horse |
| Used For | Good and evil deeds repaid in kind | Misfortune might be a blessing |
| Theme | Life Philosophy | Life Philosophy |
| Example | His kindness to others eventually came back to benefit him | Losing his job led him to find his true calling |
因果报应 (karma) means actions have inevitable consequences, while 塞翁失马 (old man's horse) means outcomes aren't what they seem. Moral causation vs situational irony.
因果报应 literally means "Cause and effect return" and is used to describe "Good and evil deeds repaid in kind." Cause (因), effect (果), and the returning repayment (报应). The vocabulary is Buddhist and entered Chinese with the translated sutras, bringing with it a moral mechanics quite different from the older Ch
塞翁失马 literally means "Old man loses horse" and is used to describe "Misfortune might be a blessing." 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
Use 因果报应 when you want to emphasize "Good and evil deeds repaid in kind." Use 塞翁失马 when you want to emphasize "Misfortune might be a blessing." 因果报应 (karma) means actions have inevitable consequences, while 塞翁失马 (old man's horse) means outcomes aren't what they seem. Moral causation vs situational irony.