塞翁失馬焉知非福 sài wēng shī mǎ yān zhī fēi fú

DEFINITIONS

  1. the old man lost his mare, but it all turned out for the best (idiom); fig. a blessing in disguise
  2. it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good

CHARACTERS

塞 sài
HSK 6
stop up, block, seal, cork; pass, frontier; fortress
翁 wēng old man; father, father-in-law
失 shī
HSK 4
lose; make mistake, neglect
馬 mǎ horse; surname; KangXi radical 187
焉 yān thereupon, then; how? why? where?
知 zhī
HSK 2
know, perceive, comprehend
非 fēi
HSK 2
not, negative, non-; oppose
福 fú
HSK 4
happiness, good fortune, blessing