諺語 · a single proverb
馬失前蹄
Simplified: 马失前蹄
What does 馬失前蹄 (mǎ shī qián tí) mean?
馬失前蹄 (mǎ shī qián tí) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the horse stumbles on its front hooves." In use it means: Even experienced and capable people make mistakes. The seasoned horse stumbles on ground it has crossed a hundred times. Competence does not guarantee perfection. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "the horse stumbles on its front hooves."
The reading
The horse knew this road. That is exactly why it stumbled. Familiarity bred the half-second of inattention, and the rock was in a new place. Expertise protects you from most mistakes and sets you up for the specific ones only experts make: the ones born from assuming you already know.
What kind of proverb it is
Source classical idiom; Yuan-Ming era vernacular literature
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 馬失前蹄 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 馬失前蹄 (mǎ shī qián tí) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from classical idiom; Yuan-Ming era vernacular literature. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 馬失前蹄?
In Mandarin it is mǎ shī qián tí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 馬失前蹄 aloud in Mandarin.