새옹지마가 · 새옹지마를
a blessing in disguise; life's ups and downs are unpredictable
Example
인생은 새옹지마니까 너무 실망하지 마세요.
Life is full of ups and downs, so don't be too disappointed.
Word parts
새 frontier+옹 old man+지 of+마 horse
From a Chinese tale: an old frontier man's runaway horse brought luck, then misfortune, then luck.
Good to know
Usually in the saying 인생은 새옹지마 'you never know how life will turn out'.
Related words