Dictionary › 北叟失马

北叟失马

běi sǒu shī mǎ

4-character word Traditional 北叟失馬

What 北叟失马 means

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

The characters in 北叟失马

• 北běinorth; (classical) to be defeated
• 叟sǒuold gentleman; old man
• 失shīto lose; to miss; to fail
• 马mǎhorse; horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess; knight in Western chess