Blessing in disguise: 塞翁失马
HSK 6 Unit 9: Classic tales retold · Lesson 1 of 5 · About 28 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can retell the story behind 塞翁失马, use the idiom in a modern situation, and recognise 之 and 其 as classical words in modern writing.
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Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 综上所述 mean?
That is 篇 (piān).
That is 基于 (jīyú).
Show the answer
Answer: A, to sum up (written).
综上所述 (zōngshàng suǒ shù) means to sum up (written).
Characters
Which word means “proposal, to propose”?
结尾 (jiéwěi) means ending, conclusion.
全面 (quánmiàn) means comprehensive, all-round.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 提议.
“proposal, to propose” is 提议 (tíyì).
New words
Classical words in modern writing: 之 and 其
Modern formal Chinese keeps some words from classical Chinese. 之 (zhī) often means 的: 城市之间 (between cities), 三分之一. 其 (qí) means his, her, its or their: 其中 (among them), 各有其利弊.
他们之间的关系很好。
Tāmen zhījiān de guānxi hěn hǎo.
The relationship between them is very good.
这个计划有其优点，也有其缺点。
Zhège jìhuà yǒu qí yōudiǎn, yě yǒu qí quēdiǎn.
This plan has its strengths and also its weaknesses.
Many chengyu keep classical grammar too. 塞翁失马 is short for 塞翁失马，焉知非福: when the old man lost his horse, how could anyone know it wasn't a blessing?
Characters
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
The old man who lost his horse
An old story, retold in modern Chinese.
Listen first
Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.
Helpful words: 边境 biānjìng border, frontier; 匹 pǐ (measure word for horses); 骏马 jùnmǎ fine horse; 祝贺 zhùhè to congratulate; 摔断 shuāiduàn to break (by falling); 打仗 dǎzhàng to go to war; 失 shī to lose; 趟 tàng (measure word for trips and trains)
Listening
Listen first. What did the horse bring back?
Show the answer
Answer: A, a fine horse.
还带回来一匹骏马.
Listening
Why didn't the son go to war?
Show the answer
Answer: B, his leg was injured.
因为腿受了伤.
Listening
What does the idiom show?
Show the answer
Answer: C, good and bad fortune can turn into each other.
福和祸是可以互相转化的.
Show the text
从前，边境上住着一位老人，大家叫他塞翁。
Long ago, an old man lived on the frontier. People called him Saiweng.
有一天，他的马跑了。邻居们来安慰他，他却说：“这未必是坏事。”
One day his horse ran away. The neighbours came to comfort him, but he said: "This isn't necessarily a bad thing."
几个月以后，那匹马回来了，还带回来一匹骏马。邻居们来祝贺他，他却说：“这未必是好事。”
A few months later the horse came back, bringing a fine horse with it. The neighbours came to congratulate him, but he said: "This isn't necessarily a good thing."
后来，他的儿子骑那匹骏马的时候，摔断了腿。
Later, his son fell while riding the fine horse and broke his leg.
不久，战争开始了，年轻人都要去打仗，很多人再也没有回来。
Soon war broke out. The young men all had to go and fight, and many never came back.
塞翁的儿子因为腿受了伤，不用去打仗，留在了家里。
Because his leg was injured, Saiweng's son did not have to go to war, and stayed at home.
人们用“塞翁失马”说明：福和祸是可以互相转化的。
People use 塞翁失马 to show that good and bad fortune can turn into each other.
Speak: listen, record, compare
Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.
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Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
人们用“塞翁失马”说明：福和祸是可以互相转化的。
Rénmen yòng “Sàiwēng shī mǎ” shuōmíng: fú hé huò shì kěyǐ hùxiāng zhuǎnhuà de.
People use 塞翁失马 to show that good and bad fortune can turn into each other.
不久，战争开始了，年轻人都要去打仗，很多人再也没有回来。
Bùjiǔ, zhànzhēng kāishǐ le, niánqīngrén dōu yào qù dǎzhàng, hěn duō rén zài yě méiyǒu huílai.
Soon war broke out. The young men all had to go and fight, and many never came back.
从前，边境上住着一位老人，大家叫他塞翁。
Cóngqián, biānjìng shàng zhù zhe yí wèi lǎorén, dàjiā jiào tā Sàiwēng.
Long ago, an old man lived on the frontier. People called him Saiweng.
Practice
Meaning
What does 塞翁失马 mean?
That is 舞台 (wǔtái).
That is 月 (yuè).
Show the answer
Answer: C, a loss may turn out to be a blessing.
塞翁失马 (Sàiwēng shī mǎ) means a loss may turn out to be a blessing.
Characters
Which word means “good fortune, blessing”?
强 (qiáng) means strong.
篇 (piān) means (measure word for essays and articles).
Show the answer
Answer: C, 福.
“good fortune, blessing” is 福 (fú).
Pinyin
How do you read 祸 (misfortune, disaster)?
Show the answer
Answer: A, huò.
祸 is read huò. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
安慰 ānwèi
That would be 小时候 (xiǎoshíhou).
That would be 运动 (yùndòng).
Show the answer
Answer: C, to comfort.
You heard 安慰 (ānwèi): to comfort.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “war” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 战争
“war” is 战争 (zhànzhēng).
Grammar
In formal writing, what does 其 mean in 各有其优点?
Show the answer
Answer: C, its, their.
其: its, their.
Fill the gap
Complete: Missing that train turned out to be a blessing.
没赶上那趟火车，真是＿＿。
Show the answer
Answer: C, 塞翁失马.
塞翁失马: a loss that turns out well.
In context
Your friend failed an exam, so you say kind words to make her feel better. What do you do?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 安慰她.
安慰她: 安慰: to comfort.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for war
Show the answer
Answer: 战争
战争: war.
A blessing in disguise
Tell out loud about something bad that turned out well, in eight sentences. Record it.
- What happened first.
- How people reacted.
- How it turned out, with 后来 and 没想到.
- End with the idiom 塞翁失马.
Sentence frames
这真是塞翁失马，＿＿。
Zhè zhēnshi Sàiwēng shī mǎ, ＿＿.
It really was a blessing in disguise: ...
Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:
Review and finish
Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.
- I can retell the story of 塞翁失马 and use the idiom.
- I recognise 之 and 其 as classical words in modern writing.
Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.