a grand but illusory dream; a fleeting dream of glory or prosperity; an ephemeral fantasy
他以为自己即将功成名就，没想到一切只是一枕南柯。
He thought he was on the verge of great success, but it all turned out to be just a fleeting dream of glory.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
According to legend, during ancient times, a man named Chunyu Fen fell asleep under an old locust tree after drinking too much wine.
In his dream, he saw a city gate tower inscribed with 'Great Huai'an Kingdom.' The King of Huai'an invited him to be his son-in-law and appointed him governor of Nanke for thirty years, during which he enjoyed immense wealth and glory.
Upon waking, he discovered an ant hill and a tree hollow beneath the locust tree. These turned out to be the 'Great Huai'an Kingdom' and 'Nanke Commandery' from his dream.
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