From A Chinese Garden of Serenity (1959), by Hung Tzu-ch’eng, translated by Chao Tze-chiang:

Even if a phoenix is roasted and a dragon boiled for food, after the chopsticks are put down, their savors are not different from those of pickled vegetables. Even if gold and jade are hung for adornments, after they have been burned to ashes, they are not other than potsherds.