一将功成りて万骨枯る
Japanese
| Kanji in this term | ||||||
| 一 | 将 | 功 | 成 | 万 | 骨 | 枯 |
Etymology
From Middle Chinese: 一將功成萬骨枯
Proverb
一将功成りて万骨枯る (hiragana いっしょうこうなりてばんこつかる, romaji isshō kō narite ban kotsu karu)
- Behind one general's glory lie the remains of countless unsung heroes. Lit. While one general reaches glory, ten thousand bones are decaying.
References
- The Kōjien (広辞苑) Dictionary of the Japanese Language, 5th edition, Iwanami Shoten Publishing, Tokyo.