English Edition | C#61 一段永無止境的修行 | 《吳剛伐桂》 Have you ever looked up at the moon and felt like it was trying to tell you a story? If you’ve paid close attention, you might have noticed the shadows on its surface. Some say those shadows look like a towering tree… and beneath it, a figure endlessly swinging an axe. That figure is Wu Gang. Who Is Wu Gang? Long ago, Wu Gang was just an ordinary man, living a life much like ours. But he wasn’t satisfied with being ordinary. He dreamed of immortality—of becoming a celestial being and escaping the limits of life. So he left home in search of a master to teach him the secrets of becoming an immortal. There was just one problem: Wu Gang had no patience. When his teachers asked him to study herbs, he found it boring. When they taught meditation, he grew restless. He kept switching masters, always looking for a shortcut—never willing to stay long enough to truly learn. Banished to the Moon One day, driven by impulse, Wu Gang climbed the tallest mountain, hoping to find a god. Strangely enough… he did. The god brought him to a quiet place on the moon. It was cold, empty, and still—except for one thing: a magnificent osmanthus tree, so tall and full that it blocked out the moonlight. The god gave him a challenge: “If you can cut down this tree, I will grant you the highest form of immortality.” Wu Gang thought, That’s it? Just cutting a tree? Easy. Confidently, he picked up an axe and struck. The Tree That Heals With a powerful swing, the blade bit deep into the trunk. Wood chips scattered. A crack appeared. Wu Gang smiled—until something strange happened. In the brief moment he lifted his axe again… the cut healed. Completely. As if nothing had ever happened. He tried again. And again. Each time, the same result. Every wound vanished the instant his axe left the tree. Endless Effort Exhausted but stubborn, Wu Gang kept going. Swing. Cut. Heal. Day after day. Season after season. Time seemed to stand still as he repeated the same motion over and over again. And so the story goes: when we look up at the full moon—especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival—that shadow we see might just be Wu Gang… still cutting that unyielding tree. But What If… It’s easy to say this is a punishment for impatience. A lesson about effort without persistence. But what if the story isn’t really about how hard he works? What if that self-healing tree is trying to tell him something? What if the real question is this: What would happen… if Wu Gang simply stopped? If one day he put down the axe—just for a moment—would everything change? And what about us? Are we, in our own lives, also standing in front of a tree that can’t be cut down… repeating the same efforts, hoping for a different result? Next time, let’s imagine something bold: What if the moment Wu Gang stops… is the moment the miracle finally begins? Stay tuned! Phrase of the Week徒勞無功 (tú láo wú gōng)Meaning: To work hard but achieve nothing; futile effort Examples:
2. 如果方法錯了，再努力也是徒勞無功。
3. 他試圖說服對方，但一切都是徒勞無功。
4. 在錯的方向努力，只會徒勞無功。
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