page_title: The old man lost his horse
section_title: Potential origin, chengyu, proverbs, and delimitations
hierarchical_section_title: The old man lost his horse / Potential origin, chengyu, proverbs, and delimitations
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Laozi
context_page_description: The old man lost his horse, also Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows? or Bad luck brings good luck - and good luck brings bad luck are some of the many titles given to one of the most famous parables from the Huainanzi, chapter 18 dating to the 2nd century B.C. The story exemplifies the view of Daoism regarding "fortune" and "misfortune".
  In Western literature the parable was modified and is frequently used in philosophical or religious texts or in books dealing with management or psychological strategies.
context_section_description: So far, the oldest mentioning of the insight of the parable (without mentioning it) – Misery is what happiness rests upon. Happiness is what misery lurks beneath. Who knows where it ends? – is found in chapter 58 of the Tao Te Ching by Laozi from the 6th to 4th century BC.
  Among chengyu (Chinese: 成語; pinyin: chéngyǔ), traditional Chinese idiomatic expressions, one finds the saying
  Chinese: 塞翁失馬，焉知非福.
  Sài wēng shī mǎ, yān zhī fēi fú
  The old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best.
  The meaning is How could one know that it is not good fortune?
  Western parallels – not referring to the parable – can be found in the following proverbs
  A blessing in disguise
  Bad luck often brings good luck.
  Every cloud has a silver lining.
  Every ill-luck is good for something in a wise man's hand.
  Every medal has its dark side.
  Every tide has its ebb.
  No great loss without some small gain
  Nothing is so bad in which there is not something good.
  It must be noted, however, that in most of these proverbs the hopeful perspective points 'in the direction of good luck'.
  More neutral is the statement of Hamlet in conversation with Rosenkranz:
  ..., for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
caption: Stone sculpture of Laozi
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