Under the imperial examinations,
功名 was the degree a man had won: even the lowest,
秀才, set him above commoners, and
举人 and
进士 opened the way to office. Hence
功名利禄 (rank, fame and wealth).
岳飞's
满江红 shrugs off his own career with
三十功名尘与土 (thirty years of rank and fame, mere dust and earth).
