The meaning of this sentence is: The most important thing in life is diligence. If you don’t explore (labor), where will you gain? In other words, a person's life depends on diligence. If you don't actively seek, you will get nothing. This sentence was said by Zhang Heng during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It comes from the 59th volume of "Book of the Later Han" and "The 49th Biography of Zhang Heng" written by Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasty.

Excerpts from the original article are as follows:

In the past there was King Wen, who sought many blessings for himself. Life is about diligence, nothing will be gained without asking for anything. If you humble your body and bend yourself, how can your good words be used to restrain each other? The sound echoing in the trees is the sound of gold and the vibration of jade.

Vernacular translation:

In the past, King Wen of Zhou actively sought various blessings. A person's life is about hard work. If you don't seek, where will you gain anything? Why not bow down, humiliate yourself, and gain a good word to conquer the world? Just like birds chirping on tall trees, they can make a loud and harmonious sound of gold and jade.

Extended information

Fan Ye (398-445), courtesy name Weizong, was a native of Shunyang County (now Xichuan, Henan Province). He was an official, historian and writer in the Southern Song Dynasty and the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Great-grandson of Anbei General Fan Wang, grandson of Yuzhang Prefect Fan Ning, and son of Shizhong Fan Tai.

He was talented throughout his life and made outstanding achievements in history. The book "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" draws from many books, has a rigorous structure and dense diction. It is also called the "First Four Histories" together with "Historical Records", "Han Shu" and "Three Kingdoms".

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Fan Ye

Baidu Encyclopedia - Diligent Quotes