三生有幸 — “To be extremely fortunate or blessed”

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a monk named Yuanze who had profound knowledge of Buddhism and was very close to his friend Li Yuanshan. One day, as they traveled together, they saw a heavily pregnant woman drawing water by a river.

Yuanze pointed to the woman and told Li Yuanshan, "This woman has been pregnant for three years, waiting for me to be reborn as her son. I have been trying to avoid it, but now that I have seen her, I can no longer escape. In three days, she will give birth. Please go to her house then; if the infant smiles at you, that will be me. Let that smile be the proof! Thirteen years from now, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will wait for you at Tianzhu Temple in Hangzhou, and we shall meet again."

After they parted ways, Yuanze indeed passed away that very night, and at the same time, the pregnant woman gave birth to a baby boy. On the third day, Li Yuanshan followed Yuanze's instructions and visited the woman's home. The infant indeed smiled at him.

Thirteen years later, on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, Li Yuanshan arrived at Tianzhu Temple as scheduled. Just as he reached the temple gate, he saw a shepherd boy sitting on the back of an ox, singing, "Old soul on the Three-Lives Stone, enjoying the moon and wind, no need to discuss. Ashamed that an old friend comes from afar to visit, though this body is different, our bond remains."

Nowadays, people use "三生有幸" (sān shēng yǒu xìng) to describe a special fate or profound connection, or to express immense appreciation when meeting someone by chance or in unique circumstances who becomes a confidant or helper.