Idiom or Proverb Per Day, 一将功成万骨枯 一将功成万骨枯 is a famous sentence deriving from a Tang Shi (唐诗，poetry of the Tang Dynasty), it means literally that a general achieves goals or benefits (from the wars) while ten thousand of bones rot. 一, one 将, noun. general 功, noun. Exploit or achievement 成, verb. To realize or to achieve 万, ten thousand 骨, noun. Bone 枯, verb. To rot or to withered. Actually ten thousand is not exactly ten thousand, but refers to extremely many. And the bones is a metaphor of the soldiers, and 万骨枯 means many many soldiers have sacrificed their lives in the wars. This sentence dates back to about 1200 years ago and it’s really revealed a cruel and unfair truth that in a group the inferior-hierarchy persons always sacrifice for the superior-hierarchy persons. The inferiors suffer while the superiors gain benefits, honors, and statuses. E.g. 业务员们奔波劳碌、废寝忘食拼出来的业绩，竟成为主管晋升加薪的资本，真可谓一将功成万骨枯。 Here I add the entire poem below, 《己亥岁》 ——曹松 泽国江山入战图， 生民何计乐樵苏。 凭君莫话封侯事， 一将功成万骨枯。 The picture below is a scene that describes Nanjing Massacre done by Japanese soldiers in 1937.