The Old Man Who Lost His Horse

About this story

The Old Man Who Lost His Horse tells the story behind the Chinese idiom 塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ), literally 'the old man of the frontier loses his horse', usually followed by 焉知非福 (yān zhī fēi fú), 'how do you know it isn't a blessing?' It comes from the Huainanzi, a book compiled in the second century BCE at the court of Liu An, King of Huainan, in the chapter Among Men (Ren jian xun): a frontier man skilled in divination loses his horse, gets it back along with a fine Hu horse, sees his son break his leg riding it, and then, when war comes, sees that same injury keep his son safe. Each time the neighbours offer comfort or congratulations, the old man says it may yet turn the other way. This version gives his son and two neighbours voices of their own, so the three twists of luck play out as a little drama.

Tips for telling it

• Sai Weng answers in the same pattern three times. Slow down and let your child join in with 'But who knows?'
• Afterwards, ask: losing the horse, getting the horse, the broken leg, missing the war, which were good luck and which were bad?
• Keep the war part brief and land on father and son being safe; there's no need to dwell on the fighting.

Questions people ask

What does 塞翁失马 mean?

塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ) means 'the old man of the frontier loses his horse.' It describes a loss that turns out to bring something good, and is usually completed as 塞翁失马，焉知非福: who knows if it isn't a blessing? The closest English phrase is 'a blessing in disguise'.

Who knows if it's good or bad — what is the Chinese story?

It is the story of 塞翁失马, the old man of the frontier who lost his horse. In English it is often retold as the parable of the Chinese farmer whose answer to every twist of fortune is 'Maybe' or 'Who knows what's good or bad?'

Where does the story of the old man who lost his horse come from?

It comes from the Huainanzi, chapter Ren jian xun (Among Men), compiled under Liu An, King of Huainan, in the Western Han dynasty and presented to the emperor in 139 BCE. The four-plus-four saying 塞翁失马，焉知非福 was summed up from the story later; the original has the old man ask how this might not turn out to be a blessing.

What is the moral of The Old Man Who Lost His Horse?

Fortune and misfortune can turn into each other, so don't judge too quickly. Stay calm when things go badly, stay humble when they go well, and take the long view.