塞翁失马，焉知非福，也作塞翁失马，安知非福。比喻一时虽然受到损失，反而因此能得到好处。也指坏事在一定条件下可变为好事，反之亦然。形容人的心态，一定要乐观向上，任何事情都有二面性，不好的一面，有可能向好的一面转化。
If we lose our horses, we know that we are not blessed, and we will lose our horses, and we are not blessed. It is an analogy that although you suffer a loss for a while, you can get benefits because of it. It also means that bad things can turn into good things under certain conditions, and vice versa. To describe a person’s mentality, we must be optimistic. Everything has two sides. The bad side may be transformed into the good side.
在战国时期有一位老人，大家都叫他塞翁。他非常喜欢马，家里也养了许多马。有一天，他去草原牧马，晚上回来的时候，发现马群中少了一匹马。好几天过去了，怎么也找不着。
邻居们听到这事，都来安慰他，丢失一匹马没有什么大不了的，也不必太着急，人呀，年龄大了，多注意身体才对。塞翁感谢大家的安慰，于是笑了笑对大家说说：“丢了一匹马，确实没有什么大不了的啦，没准呀，还会给我带来福气呢。”
邻居听了塞翁的话，却觉得好笑。马丢了，明明是件坏事，可是塞翁他却认为也许是好事，显然是自我安慰而已。大家都没有把这个当真，可是过了没几天，塞翁的那匹马儿，不仅自己跑回家，还带回另一匹骏马呢。
邻居听说马自己回来了，都感觉非常的惊讶，于是就向塞翁道贺说：“还是您老有远见，马不仅没有丢，还带回一匹好马，真是好福气呀。” 塞翁听了邻居的祝贺，反到一点高兴的样子都没有，忧虑地说：“哎，白白得了一匹好马，不一定是什么福气，也许惹出什么麻烦来呢。” 邻居们这时候又觉得心里不舒服了，塞翁心里明明高兴，却有意不说出来，还说什么会有麻烦。
却说塞翁有个独生子，非常喜欢骑马。家里跑丢的马带回来那匹马后，他急忙去看了，只见这匹马儿，嘶（sī）鸣嘹亮，膘悍神骏，一看就知道是匹好马。他特别的喜欢，于是他每天都骑马出游，心中甚是洋洋得意。
一天，他跟往常一样去骑马出门，可是不知道怎么回事，在马儿飞奔的时候从马背上跌下来，摔断了腿。这次好心的邻居们听说，便纷纷都来安慰塞翁。
塞翁说：“谢谢大家的好意了，但是这也没什么，腿摔断了却保住性命，或许是福气呢。”这一次，邻居们觉得他又在胡言乱语。因为大家实在想不出，摔断腿会带来什么福气。
不久之后，匈奴兵大举入侵，村里的青年人都被应征入伍，可是唯独塞翁的儿子因为摔断了腿，不能去当兵。 在残（cán）酷的战争中，好多人为了国家在战场与敌人厮杀，不是受了伤就是丢了性命，而塞翁的儿子却因为摔断了腿而保全了性命。
这个故事后来演变成了一句成语叫做:塞翁失马，焉知非福！ 它告诉我们，好事与坏事，有利与不利，不是绝对不变的，一时虽然受到损失，也许反而因此能得到好处。
There was an old man in the Warring States Period, everyone called him Saiweng. He likes horses very much, and he has many horses in his family. One day, he went to herd horses on the grassland. When he came back in the evening, he found that one horse was missing from the herd. Several days passed and I couldn’t find it.
When the neighbors heard about this, they all came to comfort him. Losing a horse is no big deal, and don’t worry too much. People, older, and more attention should be paid to your body. Sai Weng thanked everyone for their comfort, so he smiled and said to everyone: “It’s really not a big deal to lose a horse, maybe it will bring me blessings.”
The neighbor heard what Saiweng said, but found it funny. The loss of the horse is obviously a bad thing, but Sai Weng thinks it may be a good thing, obviously it is only self-comforting. Everyone didn’t take this seriously, but after a few days, Saiweng’s horse not only ran home by itself, but also brought back another steed horse.
The neighbors were very surprised when they heard that the horse had come back, so they congratulated Saiweng and said, “You still have a long-term vision. Not only did you not lose the horse, but you also brought back a good horse. It’s a blessing.” Saiweng listened. The neighbor’s congratulations did not appear to be happy at all, and he said anxiously: “Hey, it’s not necessarily a blessing to get a good horse in vain. Maybe it will cause some trouble.” The neighbors felt upset at this time. Feeling comfortable now, Sai Weng was obviously happy, but deliberately didn’t say it, and said that it would be troublesome.
Said that Sai Weng has an only child and likes riding horses very much. After the horse that had been lost in the family brought back the horse, he hurried to see it, and saw the horse, sī loud and loud, and stubborn, and he knew it was a good horse. He likes it so much, so he goes out on horseback every day, very proud of it.
One day, he went out on horseback as usual, but he didn’t know what was going on, and fell off the back of the horse while the horse was galloping and broke his leg. This time the kind neighbors heard that they all came to comfort Sai Weng.
Sai Weng said, “Thank you for your kindness, but it’s nothing. It may be a blessing to save his life after breaking his leg.” This time, the neighbors felt that he was talking nonsense again. Because everyone really can’t think of the blessings that a broken leg will bring.
Soon after, the Huns invaded aggressively, and all the young people in the village were drafted into the army, but only Sai Weng’s son was unable to serve as a soldier because he broke his leg. In the cruel war, many people fought with the enemy on the battlefield for the country. They were either injured or lost their lives. However, Saiweng’s son saved his life by breaking his leg.
This story later evolved into an idiom called: If we lose our horses, we should know nothing but good fortune! It tells us that good things and bad things, advantages and disadvantages, are not absolutely the same. Even if they suffer losses for a while, they may benefit from them.