During the Song Dynasty, a renowned Zen temple called Zhaoxian Temple stood in Changsha, home to the esteemed master Jingcen, widely known as Master Zhaoxian for his profound understanding of Buddhist teachings.
Master Zhao Xian, renowned for his profound Buddhist scholarship, was often invited to lecture at other temples, where he made complex doctrines accessible, drawing large crowds and growing his fame.
One day, Master Zhaoxian arrived at a temple to expound on Buddhist teachings. His eloquent discourse deeply moved the audience. After he finished, a learned monk from the temple stood up and posed several questions, including: "Master, as one so deeply versed in the Dharma, have you already reached the highest state of enlightenment?"
Master Zhao Xian smiled, took out a gatha, and recited: "At the top of a hundred-foot pole, one stands still; though one has entered, it is not yet true. From the top of the hundred-foot pole, one must advance; the ten directions of the universe are the whole body."
These words mean: A hundred-foot bamboo pole is not truly high. Although I have reached the top of the pole in studying Buddhism, I must still take one more step to attain the supreme state of the "ten directions world."
Later, the idiom "a hundred-foot pole" came to be used as a metaphor for not resting on one's achievements but continuing to strive.
Source: *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "百尺竿头" came to describe as a metaphor for not resting on one's achievements but continuing to strive.