Duke Huan of Qi led his army on a campaign against the state of Guzhu. His ministers Guan Zhong and Xi Peng accompanied him. They marched out in spring, but by the time winter came and the campaign ended, they were lost in the mountains. The landscape was featureless; no landmark looked familiar. The army wandered for days.
Guan Zhong said: "An old horse always knows the way home." He freed the oldest, most weathered horse in the army and let it walk where it pleased. The horse set off with quiet confidence. The army followed. Before long, they found the road back to Qi.
Later, the army ran out of water in the mountains. Xi Peng said: "Ants build their nests on the south side of hills in winter, and the north side in summer. If you find an anthill, dig one inch below it — you will find water at a depth of several feet." They dug where the ants led them, and found a spring.
管仲、隰朋从于桓公而伐孤竹，春往冬反，迷惑失道。管仲曰：「老马之智可用也。」乃放老马而随之，遂得道。行山中无水，隰朋曰：「蚁冬居山之阳，夏居山之壤，蚁壤一寸而仞有水。」乃掘地，遂得水。
管仲、隰朋从于桓公而伐孤竹，春往冬反，迷惑失道。管仲曰：「老马之智可用也。」乃放老马而随之，遂得道。行山中无水，隰朋曰：「蚁冬居山之阳，夏居山之壤，蚁壤一寸而仞有水。」乃掘地，遂得水。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
Experience is a compass that never lies. The old and the small — the horse that has walked many roads, the ant that reads the seasons — know things that the proud and powerful have forgotten.
This story from the Hán Fēi Zǐ teaches two lessons in one. Guan Zhong's wisdom is in humility — a prime minister admitting that an old horse is smarter than he is. Xi Peng's wisdom is in observation — noticing that even insects follow natural laws.
The idiom "老马识途" (an old horse knows the way) became a metaphor for the value of experience. But the deeper message is about paying attention to the world around you. The horse knows the way because it has walked it. The ants know the seasons because they have lived them. Wisdom is not always found in books — sometimes it is found in dirt and hooves.