One of the concepts of Confucianism is often illustrated by the story of the man who lost his horse. After he had lost his horse, his neighbour dropped by to express his sympathy, but the man simply said, "Who knows what is good or bad?"

The next day, his lost horse returned followed by beautiful female horses. The neighbour dropped by again, but this time, to congratulate the man for the miracle. Yet, again, the man simply said, "Who knows what is good or bad?"

The man's son fell in love with one of the new horses and rode her everyday until one day, he fell off the saddle and got badly injured. Again, the neigbour dropped by to express his sympathy and again, the man simply said, "Who knows what is good or bad?"

Soon thereafter, the emperor's army came to recruit the man's son, but since his physical condition made it impossible for him to risk his life for the country, he could stay with his father.

In the end, some things - no matter how bad they may seem - might well be prerequisites to good fortune, after all.