how could one have known that it would not be fortuitous?
A picture story experience. As you may found I resteem Vickylin's post of four-words idiom, my illustration is used in the post. link Thank you for adding the word's part and the recording. My mandarin is not good to be a tutorial, haha... This idiom is about a man started with losing a horse. His interpretation towards "luck" and a series of consequences afterward of "luck" and "bad luck".
It can be difficult to foresee the twists and turns which compel misfortune to beget fortune, and vice versa.
There once was a (father), skilled in divination, who lived close to the frontier (with his son). One of his horses accidentally strayed into the lands of the Xiongnu, so everyone consoled him.
(But) the father said, “Why should I hastily (conclude) that this is not fortunate?”
After several months, the horse came back from the land of the Xiongnu, accompanied by another fine horse, so everyone congratulated him.
(But) the father said, “Why should I hastily (conclude) that this can not be unfortunate?”
His family had a wealth of fine horses, and his son loved riding them. One day (the son) fell off the horse, and broke his leg, so everyone consoled (the father).
(But) the father said, “Why should I hastily (conclude) that this is not fortunate?”
One year later, the Xiongnu invaded the frontier, and all able-bodied men took up arms and went to war. Of the men from the frontier (who volunteered), nine out of ten men perished (from the fighting). It was only because of (the son's) broken leg, that the father and son were spared (this tragedy).
Therefore, misfortune begets fortune, and fortune begets misfortune. This goes on without end, and its depths can not be measured.
The ending frame is the most difficult. Both happy and sad face of father and son are not match. If happy, it seems they look cunning; if sad, can't express the "luck". Finally I use the battle field to replace directly drawing father and son. It will become more clear with captions/words.
如果點我的主頁，大概會看到我轉發了VICKYLIN的《聽故事學中文》其中一篇作品。感謝把我最不會的部份寫出會，還有普通話錄音(這不是不為，是不能為...做教材會教壞人@@)。而這篇是小測試，看看能不能把故事簡化成短篇圖畫故事，字先省略掉^^ 最後一張有點難表達，感覺如果把兩父子畫得很開心又不好，有點奸的感覺xDD 但無表情又表達不了因禍得安的意思... 所以轉用戰場代替，簡接一點看看有沒有比較好，如果加上文字應該更清楚吧。
Reference and caption of the first image Wiktionary translation
