Meaning:

We may not succeed, but hard work will never be in vain.

Source:

From Hu Shi's "To the Graduates" published in "Independent Review" No. 7 in 1932.

The original content is:

Friends, when you are most pessimistic and disappointed, that is when you must muster strong confidence. You must firmly believe that no effort in the world is in vain. Success does not have to be mine, but my ability will not be wasted.

In short, four words: merit does not go unnoticed.

Extended information:

Gongfu does not go to waste, a Buddhist saying means that hard work will not be thrown away in vain. "Tang" means "in vain, in vain". Therefore, "Gong should not be donated in vain" can be interpreted as "All merits and efforts in the world will not be paid in vain, and must have results."

From "Lotus Sutra·Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva" "Universal Gate Product": "If there are sentient beings who worship Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, their blessings will not be donated. Therefore, all living beings should accept and uphold the name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva." And the "blessings will not be donated" in it, later generations gradually wrote "the merits will not be donated". "Tang Don" also expands the "blessing" in the scriptures, which is a relatively simple reference to Buddhist merits, into a "gong" that can refer to all efforts.

Baidu Encyclopedia——Nothing goes to waste