▸ 从前cóng qián，有yǒu一个yī ge老人lǎo rén，他tā有yǒu一匹yī pǐ马mǎ。

Long ago, there was an old man who had a horse.

▸ 一天yī tiān，马mǎ跑走pǎo zǒu了le。

One day, the horse ran away.

▸ 邻居lín jū说shuō：“太tài不好bù hǎo了le！”

The neighbors said, "That's terrible!"

▸ 老人lǎo rén说shuō：“也许yě xǔ是shì好事hǎo shì呢ne。”

The old man said, "Maybe it's a good thing."

▸ 几天jǐ tiān后hòu，马mǎ带着dài zhe一匹yī pǐ新xīn马mǎ回来huí lai了le。

A few days later, the horse came back with a new horse.

▸ 邻居lín jū说shuō：“太好了tài hǎo le！”

The neighbors said, "How wonderful!"

▸ 老人lǎo rén说shuō：“也许yě xǔ是shì坏事huài shì呢ne。”

The old man said, "Maybe it's a bad thing."

▸ 后来hòu lái，儿子ér zi骑qí新xīn马mǎ，摔断shuāi duàn了le腿tuǐ。

Later, his son rode the new horse and broke his leg.

▸ 年轻人nián qīng rén都dōu要yào去qù打仗dǎ zhàng，儿子ér zi不用bù yòng去qù。

All the young men had to go to war, but his son didn't have to go.

▸ 他tā留在liú zài家里jiā lǐ，很hěn安全ān quán。

He stayed home, safe and sound.

▸ 这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“塞翁失马sài wēng shī mǎ”。

This idiom is "the old man on the border loses his horse."

▸ 意思yì si是shì：坏事huài shì可能kě néng会huì变成biàn chéng好事hǎo shì。

It means: a bad thing may turn into a good thing.

▸ 小李xiǎo lǐ丢diū了le工作gōng zuò，后来hòu lái找到zhǎo dào了le更好gèng hǎo的de工作gōng zuò，这zhè就是jiù shì塞翁失马sài wēng shī mǎ。

Xiao Li lost his job but later found a better one — that's the old man losing his horse.

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