History
先帝創業未半 而中道崩殂
“The late Emperor passed away with his great work not half complete. Now the realm is split in three and Yi Province is exhausted — truly this is the season of survival or ruin.”
— Zhuge Liang諸葛亮
ko선제께서 창업하신 뜻이 절반도 이루어지지 않았는데, 중도에 세상을 떠나셨습니다. 지금 천하는 셋으로 나뉘고 익주는 지쳐 있으니, 참으로 존망이 걸린 위급한 때입니다.
ja先帝は創業の志半ばにして、道半ばで崩御されました。今、天下は三つに分かれ、益州は疲弊しております。まことに危急存亡の秋であります。
The scene behind the words
The opening of the memorial submitted to Emperor Liu Shan before the northern campaign. It gave the language the phrase "season of survival or ruin," and the text has been memorized as the summit of loyal prose for over a millennium — "no loyal heart reads it dry-eyed," as the saying went.
Source: The Chu Shi Biao (in the official histories)