by Han Yu (Tang Dynasty)
In the world, only after there is a Bo Le can there be a “thousand-li horse” (a steed capable of running a thousand li in a day, see the story to pay thousand gold for a deed horse). Such exceptional horses are always present – but true judges like Bo Le are rare. Thus, even if a famous horse exists, it may end up humiliated in the hands of grooms and stable boys, dying side by side with ordinary horses in the feed troughs, never recognized for its extraordinary ability.
A true thousand-li horse can consume a full dan (about 100 liters) of grain in one meal. But those who feed it do not know it is capable of such feats, so they underfeed it. Consequently, though the horse possesses great talent, it remains weak from hunger, its strength undeveloped and its excellence unseen. It cannot even be treated as equal to an average horse – how then can anyone expect it to run a thousand li?
They whip it without understanding its nature, feed it without nurturing its potential, and when it neighs, they fail to grasp its meaning. Yet standing whip in hand before it, they declare: “There are no great horses in the world!”
Alas! Is it truly that there are no great horses? Or is it simply that they do not know how to recognize one!
Further Reading
The most famous and classic stories of thousand-li horses (extraordinary steeds) in classic Chinese novels are well known to all.
For example, the White Dragon Horse in Journey to the West. His real identity is the Third Prince of the West Sea Dragon King, who transformed into a white horse and became Tang Monk’s mount. He carried Tang Monk on the journey to the Western Heaven for Buddhist scriptures, traveling one hundred and eight thousand li.
Another example is the Red Hare Horse in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It originally belonged to Dong Zhuo, who later gave it to Lü Bu. After Lü Bu’s death, Cao Cao presented it to Guan Yu. When Guan Yu was defeated and killed at Maicheng, the Red Hare Horse starved itself to death, following its master to the end.
In addition, the Dilu Horse in Romance of the Three Kingdoms was also a thousand‑li horse. When Liu Bei was chased by enemy troops and trapped at Tan Stream, Dilu leaped high and crossed the stream, thus saved Liu Bei’s life.
《马说》唐·韩愈 世有伯乐，然后有千里马。千里马常有，而伯乐不常有。故虽有名马，祇辱于奴隶人之手，骈死于槽枥之间，不以千里称也。 马之千里者，一食或尽粟一石。食马者不知其能千里而食也。是马也，虽有千里之能，食不饱，力不足，才美不外见，且欲与常马等不可得，安求其能千里也？ 策之不以其道，食之不能尽其材，鸣之而不能通其意，执策而临之，曰：“天下无马！”呜呼！其真无马邪？其真不知马也！
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