Proverb Series: The Old Man of the Frontier and His Horse
Proverb Series: The Old Man of the Frontier and His Horse
1. Reading: Saiou ga Uma
2. Meaning
This is a proverb that means "fortune and misfortune in life are unpredictable." Events that seem unfortunate at first glance may actually lead to good luck, while conversely, what one thinks is good luck may become the cause of misfortune. Therefore, it teaches that one should not be overly swayed by immediate events.
3. Origin
"The Old Man of the Frontier and His Horse" is a story recorded in the "Human Affairs" (Rinkan-kun) chapter of the Huainanzi, a philosophical text compiled during the Western Han dynasty in ancient China. Based on Taoist thought, this story illustrates the idea that the changes in things are unpredictable.
4. Original Text and Modern Translation
近塞上之人、有善術者。馬無故亡而入胡。人皆弔之。其父曰、「此何遽不為福乎。」居數月、其馬將胡駿馬而歸。人皆賀之。其父曰、「此何遽不能為禍乎。」家富良馬、其子好騎、堕而折其髀。人皆弔之。其父曰、「此何遽不為福乎。」居一年、胡人大入塞、丁壯者引弦而戰、近塞之人、死者十九。此獨以跛之故、父子相保。故福之為禍、禍之為福、化不可極、深不可測也。
Jìn Sàishàng zhī rén, yǒu shànshù zhě. Mǎ wú gù wáng ér rù hú. Rén jiē diào zhī. Qí fù yuē: "Cǐ hé jù bù wéi fú hū?" Jū shù yuè, qí mǎ jiāng hú jùnmǎ ér guī. Rén jiē hè zhī. Qí fù yuē: "Cǐ hé jù bù néng wéi huò hū?" Jiā fù liáng mǎ, qí 1zǐ hào qí, duò ér shé qí bì. Rén jiē diào zhī. Qí fù yuē: "Cǐ hé jù bù wéi fú hū?" Jū yī nián, hú rén dà rù sài, dīng zhuàng zhě yǐn xián ér zhàn, jìn sài zhī rén, sǐ zhě shíjiǔ. Cǐ dú yǐ bǒ zhī gù, fùzǐ xiāng bǎo. Gù fú zhī wéi huò, huò zhī wéi fú, huà bù kě jí, shēn bù kě cè yě.
There lived an old man near the border who was skilled in divination.
One day, his horse ran away to the land of the barbarians without any warning. People felt sorry for him, but the old man said, "How can we say this will not become a blessing?"
A few months later, the horse returned, bringing a fine steed with it. People congratulated him, but the old man said, "How can we say this will not become a disaster?"
Since the family now had more good horses, his son enjoyed riding them, but he fell off and broke his leg. People felt sorry for him, but the old man said, "How can we say this will not become a blessing?"
A year later, the barbarians invaded the border in great numbers. All the able-bodied men went to fight, and many lost their lives. However, only the old man's son, who was crippled, was exempt from military service, and both father and son remained safe.
From this, we see that the transformation of fortune into disaster and disaster into fortune is endless, and its depth is unfathomable.
5. Historical Example
Tokugawa Ieyasu is known as a figure who, like the old man in the story, showed the boldness not to be swayed by immediate events. In the 1573 Battle of Mikatagahara, he suffered the greatest defeat of his life at the hands of Takeda Shingen. However, after barely escaping back to his castle, he intentionally had an artist paint his own terrified expression and kept it as the "Shikami-zo" (portrait of a grimacing man). Ieyasu did not let this "disaster" of a major defeat shake him, but instead used it as a lifelong warning, which eventually led to the "blessing" of unifying the country. His attitude of using disaster as fuel for the future embodies the lesson of "The Old Man of the Frontier and His Horse."