一いっ将しょう功こう成なって万ばん骨こつ枯かる

Meanings

thousands die to make one hero; one general reaches glory, ten thousand bones are left to dry

Proverb lamenting that the fame of a leader is built on the sacrifice of countless ordinary soldiers. Often used to criticize the human cost of ambition or war.

See also: 一将功成りて万骨枯る

歴れき史しを振ふり返かえると、一いっ将しょう功こう成なって万ばん骨こつ枯かるという言こと葉ばが身みに染しみる。
Looking back at history, the proverb 'one general reaches glory, ten thousand bones are left to dry' really hits home.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
将leader, commander, general
功achievement, merits, success
成turn into, become, get
万ten thousand, 10,000
骨skeleton, bone, remains
枯wither, die, dry up

Related words

一いっ将しょう功こう成なりて万ばん骨こつ枯かる
Classical literary form of the same proverb, using the classical verb ending なりて instead of the modern contracted なって.

Written forms

一いっ将しょう功こう成なって万ばん骨こつ枯かる
Standard kanji form of the proverb.
一いっ将しょう功こうなって万ばん骨こつ枯かる
Variant spelling using なって instead of 成って.

Etymology

From a Chinese poem by Cao Song (Tang dynasty). The original line is 一将功成万骨枯. The Japanese reading adapts the classical Chinese into a Japanese proverbial form.