Tā gǎnkǎi sān shí gōngmíng chén yǔ tǔ, bā qiān lǐ lù yún hé yuè.
He sighed: 'thirty years of fame are dust; eight thousand li of road, clouds and moon.'
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From 岳飞 Yue Fei (Southern Song) 《满江红》: 三十功名尘与土，八千里路云和月 — 'thirty years of rank and fame are dust and earth; eight thousand li of road are cloud and moon.' Written by the general before he was unjustly executed. Still the most patriotic ci in Chinese literature.
usage
Almost always quoted with its paired line 八千里路云和月. 三十 here = 'thirty years (of service).' 功名 = official rank and public fame, the Confucian scholar's main prize.
