Chapter 3.3.1  SaiWeng's Lost Horse (塞翁失马)

Once upon a time, there was a chill old frontier guy everyone called SaiWeng (塞翁).

He lived out near the border with his son, and they loved raising horses.

One morning, he walked out to the stable and went -- wait a second.

My best horse just vanished!

It ran off into the wild lands beyond the border.

All his neighbors rushed over with sad faces, patting his shoulder.

They said what rotten luck this was.

But SaiWeng just shrugged and grinned.

"Who knows? This might turn out to be a good thing."

Everyone thought the old man had lost his marbles.

A few months rolled by.

Guess what?

The runaway horse trotted right back home.

It brought a gorgeous, strong wild steed from the northern tribes along with it!

The neighbors came running again, this time cheering.

They threw a little celebration for his amazing luck.

SaiWeng's smile faded, and he shook his head.

"Don't get too excited. This nice new horse could spell trouble."

The neighbors thought he was crazy again.

His son instantly fell in love with this fancy new horse.

He rode it every single day, zooming around for fun.

One day, the horse spooked.

The boy took a nasty fall.

He broke his thigh bone.

Neighbors showed up once more to comfort the family.

Again, SaiWeng said the same weird line.

"You never know. This injury might be a blessing."

Now everyone was totally confused.

Then one year later, invaders stormed across the border.

Every fit young man in the village was forced to join the army to fight.

Most of those boys never came home.

But SaiWeng's son was lame, so he didn't have to join the army.

Father and son stayed safe at home.

Good luck (福) and bad luck (祸) flip back and forth, faster than you can blink.

You can never judge a moment as totally good or totally bad right away.

塞翁失马 中文故事

从前边塞住着一位心态超稳的老人家，大家叫他塞翁。

他和儿子一起住在边境，以养马为生。

某天一早，他走到马厩，忽然愣住了。

哎呀，家里最好的马不见了！

它一路跑到塞外的荒野里去了。

邻居们全都赶来，拍着他的肩膀安慰他。

大家都说，这运气实在太差了。

可塞翁只是耸耸肩，淡淡一笑。

"谁知道呢？说不定这反而是一件好事。"

大伙听了，都觉得这老头有点糊涂了。

几个月慢慢过去。

神奇的事情发生了！

那匹跑丢的马，自己走回了家。

它还带回来一匹胡人那边健壮漂亮的野马！

邻居们又兴冲冲跑过来，纷纷欢呼。

大家都来恭喜他，觉得他运气爆棚。

塞翁却收起笑容，摇了摇头。

"别高兴得太早。这匹好马，说不定会招来灾祸。"

邻居们又一次觉得他不可理喻。

塞翁的儿子一眼就迷上了这匹骏马。

他天天骑着它到处驰骋玩耍。

有一天，马儿突然受惊。

少年重重从马背上摔了下来。

他摔断了大腿骨头。

邻居们再次上门慰问父子二人。

塞翁还是说出那句让人费解的话。

"很难说哦，这场伤痛或许是一份福气。"

所有人听得一头雾水。

一年之后，外敌大举入侵边境。

村里所有健壮的年轻人，都被征召入伍作战。

大部分年轻人，再也没能回来。

唯独塞翁的儿子腿脚不便，不用参军。

父子二人平安留在家中。

福与祸总是瞬息反转，快得让人来不及反应。

我们没法在当下，立刻断定一件事是绝对好或是绝对坏。