八陣圖

八陣圖
杜甫

功蓋三分國，
名成八陣圖。
江流石不轉，
遺恨失吞吳

Background
One of the most respected figures in Chinese history, Zhu Ge Liang was the personal advisor to the King of Shu. He was filled with wisdom and skilled in military tactics. Zhu developed Ba Zhen Tu (the eight elements of battle formation), which is created from a pile of stones and is used to guide the formation and movement of the army during battle. This creation made him famous throughout history.

Line by line translation


功蓋三分國，
His achievements are greatest in all of the three kingdoms

名成八陣圖。
He's famous for developing the eight elements of battle formation (Ba Zhen Tu).

江流石不轉，
Even though the river moves, the stones part of Ba Zhen Tu remain unchanged.

遺恨失吞吳
the only regret Zhu has is that he could not fulfill his goal because of the defeat in the war against Wu.