折戟沉沙

zhé jǐ chén shā

lit. broken halberds embedded in the sand (idiom)

fig. reminder of a fierce battle; remnants of a disastrous defeat

折

zhé

variant of 折[zhe2]

戟

jǐ

halberd

沉

chén

variant of 沉[chen2]

沙

shā

granule