Test Your Reading Skills with Taoist Parables:

The Chinese Farmer Story

The Chinese farmer story is one of many tao parables that can be interpreted in
many ways. These stories are part of Taoism, or Daoism, as it is more commonly
known in the west. Taoism is a long-standing religion in China known for its
philosophies and promotion of a harmonious lifestyle.

The religion concentrates on the unity and contrast of opposites known as Yin
and Yang. Some of the main elements of Taoism are to achieve a union with
nature, being virtuous and development of the self.

Tao parables, such as the story about the farmer, were written to teach people
moral or religious lessons in life.

Use the short story of the Chinese farmer to practise your Chinese reading
skills. You can click each sentence and see a full breakdown of each character
and their meaning. Scroll down to find the Pinyin and English translation of the
story.

These Taoist stories are often still extremely relevant in the modern day, and
so once youve read the story, why not take a look at some of the
interpretations of the parable. What was your understanding of the story? Feel
free to share your own readings of the Chinese farmer story below!

You can read the story in two ways: with the Chinese, Pinyin and English
separately, or combined line by line.

Separate

Combined

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 (si wng sh m) Sai Weng Loses His
Horse
(hui nn zi rn jin xn) [Writings of the] Masters of
Huainan In the World of Man

comes from the idiom (si wng sh m, n zh fi

f) that translates tothe old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the
best. The English version of the story is often translated to Maybe, Said the
Farmer.

Separate

1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.
11.

12.
13.
14.

15.
16.

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Line by Line Pinyin Breakdown

1. G sh hou, yu y g lo tur, zh zi bin si d q, rn chng si wng.

2. Yu y tin, t ji de y p m z j po le.
3. T de ln j tng shu le zh ge xio xi hu, du li n wi t.
4. T xio le xio shu: m su rn di le, zn zh b sh y jin ho sh ne?
5. j ge yu hu, lo tur di sh de m j rn hu lai le, hi lng hu lai y p jn m
6. zhng rn tng shu hu, fn fn zh h t
7. k sh t bng mi yu hn go xng, shu do: zh yu shn me k zh h de,
yu zn zh zh b sh hu dun ne?
8. lo tur de r zi x huan q m.
9. j tin hu, yn wi xn li de m bng b xn f, t de r zi cng m shng
shui xi lai zh dun d tu.
10. rn men tng shu le, yu li n wi lo tur.
11. k sh t bng b jio j, shu do: shu bu dng hi sh jin ho sh.
12. hu li, bin jng shng f shng zhn zhng, hn du qng nin bi zhng
dio r w, shng le zhnchng, shng wng sh zh b ji.
13. lo tur de r zi qu yn wi tu shui dun le, jio xng hu le xi lai.
14. su y, f k bin wi hu, hu k bin wi f, zh q zhng de bin hu nn
y zhu m.
15. si wng sh m de chng y ji sh cng zh ge g shi li de, t chng
chng y yn zh fi f lin zi y q sh yng.
16. zh ge chng y xin zi wng wng yng li b y hui sh k y zhun hu
wi ho sh, hu zh yngli xng rng su rn zn sh shu le sn sh, y k nng
yn c d do ho chu.

English Translation of the Chinese Farmer

Story
1. Once upon a time, there was an old farmer, called Sai Weng, who lived in the
frontier area.

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 2. One day his horse ran away.
3. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours came to visit. Such bad luck, they
said, sympathetically.
4. Maybe, the farmer replied with a smile.
5. Several months later, the horse returned unexpectedly, bringing with it
another fine horse.
6. How wonderful, the neighbours exclaimed.
7. Maybe, replied the old man, who did not seem very happy.
8. The old man had a son who liked riding horses.
9. The following day, his son tried to ride the untamed horse, but was thrown
off and broke his leg.
10. Once again, the neighbours came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
11. Maybe, answered the farmer, who didnt seem very worried.
12. Later, war breaks out at the border and military officials went to the village
to draft young men into the army. Most of them were killed or seriously injured
in the war.
13. However, because of the broken leg, the old mans son was unable to fight
in the war.
14. So, good luck can turn into a bad thing, and a bad thing can become
good luck, and it is hard to see how the change occurred.
15. The chengyu cames from this story and is always used with
meaning a blessing in disguise.
16. It is always used to express the sentiment that bad things can become
good things or though suffering loss at the moment, profit may come later
because of it.

Combined

1.
G sh hou, yu y g lo tur, zh zi bin si d q, rn chng si wng.
Once upon a time, there was an old farmer, called Sai Weng, who lived in the
frontier area.

2.
Yu y tin, t ji de y p m z j po le.

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 One day his horse ran away.

3.
T de ln j tng shu le zh ge xio xi hu, du li n wi t.
Upon hearing the news, his neighbours came to visit. Such bad luck, they said,
sympathetically.

4.
T xio le xio shu: m su rn di le, zn zh b sh y jin ho sh ne?
Maybe, the farmer replied with a smile.

5.
j ge yu hu, lo tur di sh de m j rn hu lai le, hi lng hu lai y p jn m
Several months later, the horse returned unexpectedly, bringing with it
another fine horse.

6.
zhng rn tng shu hu, fn fn zh h t
How wonderful, the neighbours exclaimed.

7.
k sh t bng mi yu hn go xng, shu do: zh yu shn me k zh h de,
yu zn zh zh b sh hu dun ne?
Maybe, replied the old man, who did not seem very happy.

8.
lo tur de r zi x huan q m.
The old man had a son who liked riding horses.

9.
j tin hu, yn wi xn li de m bng b xn f, t de r zi cng m shng shui
xi lai zh dun d tu.
The following day, his son tried to ride the untamed horse, but was thrown off
and broke his leg.

10.
rn men tng shu le, yu li n wi lo tur.
Once again, the neighbours came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

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11.
k sh t bng b jio j, shu do: shu bu dng hi sh jin ho sh.
Maybe, answered the farmer, who didnt seem very worried.

12.
hu li, bin jng shng f shng zhn zhng, hn du qng nin bi zhng dio
r w, shng le zhnchng, shng wng sh zh b ji.
Later, war breaks out at the border and military officials went to the village to
draft young men into the army. Most of them were killed or seriously injured in
the war.

13.
lo tur de r zi qu yn wi tu shui dun le, jio xng hu le xi lai.
However, because of the broken leg, the old mans son was unable to fight in
the war.

14.
su y, f k bin wi hu, hu k bin wi f, zh q zhng de bin hu nn y
zhu m.
So, good luck can turn into a bad thing, and a bad thing can become good
luck, and it is hard to see how the change occurred.

15.
si wng sh m de chng y ji sh cng zh ge g shi li de, t chng chng
y yn zh fi f lin zi y q sh yng.
The chengyu cames from this story and is always used with
meaning a blessing in disguise.

16.

zh ge chng y xin zi wng wng yng li b y hui sh k y zhun hu wi
ho sh, hu zh yngli xng rng su rn zn sh shu le sn sh, y k nng yn
c d do ho chu.
It is always used to express the sentiment that bad things can become good
things or though suffering loss at the moment, profit may come later because
of it.

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