塞翁失马
sài wēng shī mǎ
a loss that may turn out a blessing
Character by character
塞sài
frontier
frontier
翁wēng
old man
old man
失shī
loses
loses
马mǎ
a horse
a horse
Example
这次没被录取也许是塞翁失马，说不定有更好的机会。
Not being accepted this time may be a blessing in disguise; a better chance may come.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
塞 is read sài here. Usually followed by 焉知非福.
Learn this in Lesson 207 · HSK 9+: 寓言与名句 (Fables and famous lines)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
Open the lesson →