In my last video, I mentioned the story of "伯樂(Bo Le) and the 千里馬". Today, let's take a closer look at this story.
伯樂能識千里馬 (Bo Le can spot a thousand-mile horse.)
From 《雜說四．馬說》by 韓愈 (唐 Dynasty)
世有伯樂，然後有千里馬。千里馬常有，而伯樂不常有。故雖有名馬，祗辱於奴隸人之手，駢死於槽櫪之間，不以千里稱也。
馬之千里者，一食或盡粟一石。食馬者不知其能千里而食也。是馬也，雖有千里之能，食不飽，力不足，才美不外見，且欲與常馬等不可得，安求其能千里也？
策之不以其道，食之不能盡其材，鳴之而不能通其意，執策而臨之，曰：“天下無馬！”
嗚呼！其真無馬邪？其真不知馬也！
The meaning of this classical text is: 千里馬 (Thousand-Li Horses) only exist when there is a 伯樂 (an expert who can judge the ability of horses). There are many horses with the 千里馬 ability, but few people like 伯樂 can recognize their talent. Therefore, even a capable horse will be buried in the hands of servants and die in the stables alongside ordinary horses if no one can identify its abilities. No one will ever discover that it is actually a 千里馬.
A horse that can run 500 kilometres a day can sometimes eat an entire dan (石, approximately 60 kilograms) of grain in a single meal. However, unaware that it is a 千里馬, the feeder simply treats it like an ordinary horse. Even though it has the capacity to run 500 kilometres a day, it lacks the strength because it is not fed enough, so its talents and virtues cannot be displayed. It can't even perform to the standard of an average horse, so how could it possibly cover 500 kilometres a day?
You fail to train it properly, and your feeding methods prevent it from fully utilizing its talents. When it neighs, you cannot comprehend its meaning. Instead, you simply stand before it, whip in hand, and declare, "There are no 千里馬 in the world!"
Are there truly no 千里馬? The truth is, they are utterly blind to true talent!
韓愈 (768–824) was an essayist and a government official who was demoted twice in his lifetime and exiled to serve in remote areas. Consequently, his works occasionally reveal a sense of regret over being underappreciated.
Through this essay, he emphasizes that if talented individuals remain undiscovered and are not placed in suitable positions, their performance will be no different from that of ordinary people. Furthermore, 千里馬 require better treatment than average horses to reach their full potential. If they are provided with only standard conditions, they will perform worse than regular horses.
Similarly, when people's talents go unrecognized, they may become demoralized and perform worse than the average person. Therefore, 韓愈 concludes that 千里馬 do exist; they simply go unrecognized. Similarly, true talents do indeed exist; they are merely overlooked by their superiors.
- 伯樂 Originally a name, now refers to a person who is good at discovering talent.
- 能 can
- 識 recognize
- 千里馬 A horse that can run 500 kilometers a day is now used as a metaphor for a talented person.
韓愈 emphasizes that a 千里馬 deserves special treatment; it must consume more food than an ordinary horse to unleash its full potential. However, there is a saying: "又要馬兒好，又要馬兒不吃草"(You want the horse to be good, yet you don't want it to graze). In modern times, we call people with this mindset "慣老闆" (Exploitative Employers).
慣老闆 Exploitative Employers
First, let's explore the proverb: "又要馬兒好，又要馬兒不吃草" (You want the horse to be good, but you also want it not to eat grass).
According to Taiwan's Ministry of Education dictionary, the standard phrasing uses the word "好" (good/strong), though it is sometimes memorized as "跑" (run).
This proverb first appeared in the 清 dynasty novel 《夜譚隨錄》, written around 1791. Its title translates to "Record of Occasional Talks at Night."
It serves as a metaphor for setting excessively high expectations while being unwilling to pay the price. It describes the contradictory mindset of wanting a strong (or fast-running) horse but wishing it would consume no fodder; in other words, desiring high-quality results without paying a reasonable cost.
Sentence Pattern: 又要……又要……
This structure is generally used to express parallel desires or actions, meaning "I want this and that at the same time." In modern contexts, the variation "既要... 又要..." is often used to describe a person or organization that craves multiple benefits or conditions while refusing to make trade-offs. It carries a sarcastic tone, implying greed.
Literal meaning: Repeated or additional demands.
她又要做家務又要顧小孩又要應付婆婆的刁難，真的非常辛苦。
She has to do the housework, take care of the kids, and deal with her mother-in-law's unreasonable demands, which is truly exhausting.
Modern common usage: It frequently appears in the expanded form "既要、又要、還要" (want this, also want that, and still want more).
這些個慣老闆，既要員工做出高品質的產品，又要大家不領加班費，還要在期限前一星期就完成工作以便測試！哪有可能！
These exploitative employers want employees to produce high-quality products, expect everyone to forgo overtime pay, and still demand that the work be completed a week before the deadline for testing! How is that even possible!
Now, let's return to the topic of "慣老闆" (exploitative employers).
The term "慣老闆" refers to a toxic employer who is overly demanding, exploitative, and pays low wages.
They disregard the welfare of their employees and habitually treat them like slaves. Their characteristics include denying overtime pay, demanding constant overtime, managing with emotional volatility, making empty promises without raising salaries, and shifting blame onto employees. These types of bosses tend to be incredibly self-righteous and disregard the Labor Standards Act.
As a verb, "慣" means "to spoil" or "to pamper". It is commonly used to describe parents who give their children whatever they want. Over time, the child becomes willful and believes that everyone must accommodate them.
For example:
他是獨生子，所以全家都慣著他。
Since he is an only child, his entire family spoils him rotten.
Therefore, the term "慣老闆" originally referred to a situation in which employees, terrified of being fired, did their absolute best to meet their bosses' demands, no matter how unreasonable they were. Ultimately, this "spoils" the boss, making them feel that their outrageous demands are justified.
Over time, the term evolved to refer specifically to bosses who make endless demands without providing corresponding compensation.
How To Use
你不是伯樂，你當然看不出他是匹千里馬。
You lack an eye for talent, so naturally you cannot recognize his true potential.
The measure word for horses is "匹" (pī). For example: "一匹馬" (one horse).
It can also be used as a measure word for textiles, but the pronunciation changes to "pǐ". For example: "兩匹布" (two bolts of cloth).
拒絕慣老闆！我們決定集體辭職！
Say no to exploitative employers! We have decided to resign en masse!
I hope you found this useful! To master these words, make sure to check out the video above for native audio examples. Happy learning! 
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