Stick #30: Waiting by the Tree for a Rabbit (Neutral)
偶然得之不可恃，守株待兔误终身。机缘须配勤与智，空等何年见好春。
Plain reading
This lot warns against idle waiting. Luck once found cannot be trusted forever. Chance needs work and wit — sitting by the stump wastes life. If fortune came once, return to daily striving.
Interpretation
"Waiting by the Tree for a Rabbit" is a neutral stick. Accidental gain cannot be relied on. Opportunity needs diligence and mind — treating one lucky strike as rule misleads.
Advice
If luck helped once, restore normal effort at once — do not wait again.
Drawn from Han Feizi — farmer waited by stump for rabbit, caught none, mocked by all — luck is not labor.