A Blessing in Disguise
Tal
June 25, 2010, 03:07 AM posted in General Discussion
塞翁失马 A Blessing in Disguise
In China there's a saying: 塞翁失马 ，安知非福？(Sàiwēng shī mǎ，ānzhī fēifú?) It could be translated something like: Just like the old frontiersman losing his horse, who knows but that this may be a blessing in disguise.
Anyway this story is a simply told version of the folk tale which gives us this 成语 .
bodawei
June 25, 2010, 06:09 AMI think this story tells us something about contemporary Chinese culture - eg.
The future is un-knowable. It follows that contracting in China is a different experience to contracting in the West. Contracts can be 'reviewed' because who knows how circumstances might change.
Also, because the future is un-knowable, Chinese peope are unwilling to 'burn their bridges' to any great extent. They allow some seemingly unjust events to pass them by without protest, because who knows what might happen in the future? They are unwilling to get angry at someone who has offended them in some circumstances because, who knows, they may need their friendship in the future.
For what it is worth - I realise that some other behaviours in China contradict these observations, but maybe this is because we are missing the long-term view.
Tal
没错，bodawei. 中国人好像重视《乐观》，平时讨厌《悲观》。据说：尝尽酸甜苦辣，还有：喫一堑，长一智。丢什么值钱东西，一个中国朋友会说：《破财免灾》！
bababardwan
July 22, 2010, 02:45 PMah, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune....turned out alright in the end. 感谢Tal为这个很好和有名的故事。加油朋友。
kimiik
July 22, 2010, 04:26 PMThere are similar proverbs in french and in english :
À quelque chose malheur est bon.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
bodawei
June 25, 2010, 05:59 AMLove this story tal_; thanks for posting.