thousands die to make one hero
Proverb meaning that the glory of a single leader is built on the sacrifice of countless ordinary people. Often used to criticize war or ruthless ambition.
一将功成りて万骨枯るという言葉は、戦争の悲惨さをよく表している。
The saying 'thousands die to make one hero' well expresses the tragedy of war.
From the line 一将功成万骨枯 in a poem by the late-Tang poet 曹松, literally “one general achieves glory, and ten thousand bones wither.”