Giles 英译

1.Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.

2.It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

3.The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

4.These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.

7.Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

8.Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

9.The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.

10.By Method and discipline are to be understood the marshalling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the gradations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

11.These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.

12.Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wise:—

13.(1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?

14.By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.

15.The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer:—let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat:—let such a one be dismissed!

16.While heeding the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules.

17.According as circumstances are favourable, one should modify one’s plans.

18.All warfare is based on deception.

19.Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

20.Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

21.If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.

22.If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

23.If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.

24.Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

25.These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.

26.Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers,

2.When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, the men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardour will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.

3.Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain.

4.Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardour damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.

5.Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.

6.There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

7.It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.

8.The skilful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-waggons loaded more than twice.

9.Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.

10.Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.

11.On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people’s substance to be drained away.

12.When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions.

15.Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy’s provisions is equivalent to twenty of one’s own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one’s own store.

16.Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.

17.Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first. Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.

18.This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one’s own strength.

19.In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

20.Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people’s fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to capture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

2.Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

3.Thus the highest form of generalship is to baulk the enemy’s plans;

4.The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided.

5.The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants,

6.Therefore the skilful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.

7.With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete.

8.It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy’s one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him;

9.If equally matched, we can offer battle;

10.Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force.

11.Now the general is the bulwark of the State: if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will be weak.

12.There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:—

13.(1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army.

14.(2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier’s minds.

15.(3) By employing the officers of his army without discrimination,

16.But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away.

17.Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

18.Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

2.To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

3.Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat,

4.Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.

5.Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.

6.Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.

7.The general who is skilled in defence hides in the most secret recesses of the earth;

8.To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.

9.Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!"

10.To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength;

11.What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

12.Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage.

13.He wins his battles by making no mistakes.

14.Hence the skilful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.

15.Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

16.The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.

17.In respect of military method, we have, firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances; fifthly, Victory.

18.Measurement owes its existence to Earth; Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation to Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation; and Victory to Balancing of chances.

19.A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as a pound’s weight placed in the scale against a single grain.

20.The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep. So much for tactical dispositions.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.

2.Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.

3.To ensure that your whole host may withstand the brunt of the enemy’s attack and remain unshaken—this is effected by manœuvers direct and indirect.

4.That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone dashed against an egg—this is effected by the science of weak points and strong.

5.In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.

6.Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhausible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away but to return once more.

7.There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.

8.There are not more than five primary colours (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever be seen.

10.In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack—the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of manœuvers.

11.The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle—you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?

12.The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones along in its course.

13.The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

14.Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.

15.Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of the trigger.

16.Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.

17.Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.

18.Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a question of subdivision;

19.Thus one who is skilful at keeping the enemy on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to which the enemy will act.

20.By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.

21.The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals.

22.When he utilises combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if round-shaped, to go rolling down.

23.Thus the energy developed by good fighting men is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject of energy.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle, will arrive exhausted.

2.Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.

3.By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.

4.If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him;

5.Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.

6.An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not.

7.You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.

8.Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defence whose opponent does not know what to attack.

9.O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible;

10.You may advance and be absolutely irresistible, if you make for the enemy’s weak points; you may retire and be safe from pursuit if your movements are more rapid than those of the enemy.

11.If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.

12.If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way.

13.By discovering the enemy’s dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy’s must be divided.

14.We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted against separate parts of a whole, which means that we shall be many to the enemy’s few.

15.And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force with a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits.

16.The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points;

17.For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.

18.Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling our adversary to make these preparations against us.

19.Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order to fight.

20.But if neither time nor place be known, then the left wing will be impotent to succour the right, the right equally impotent to succour the left, the van unable to relieve the rear, or the rear to support the van. How much more so if the furthest portions of the army are anything under a hundred li apart, and even the nearest are separated by several li!

21.Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yüeh exceed our own in number, that shall advantage them nothing in the matter of victory. I say then that victory can be achieved.

22.Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may prevent him from fighting. Scheme so as to discover his plans and the likelihood of their success.

23.Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity.

24.Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.

25.In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them;

26.How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy’s own tactics—that is what the multitude cannot comprehend.

27.All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

28.Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.

29.Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.

30.So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.

31.Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.

32.Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.

33.He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.

34.The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are not always equally predominant;

1.Sun Tzŭ said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign.

2.Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonise the different elements thereof before pitching his camp.

3.After that, comes tactical manœuvering, than which there is nothing more difficult.

4.Thus, to take a long and circuitous route, after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of the artifice of deviation.

5.Manœuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.

6.If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to snatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be too late. On the other hand, to detach a flying column for the purpose involves the sacrifice of its baggage and stores.

7.Thus, if you order your men to roll up their buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch,

8.The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will reach its destination.

9.If you march fifty li in order to outmanœuver the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division, and only half your force will reach the goal.

10.If you march thirty li with the same object, two-thirds of your army will arrive.

11.We may take it then that an army without its baggage-train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases of supply it is lost.

12.We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbours.

13.We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country—its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.

14.We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to account unless we make use of local guides.

15.In war, practise dissimulation, and you will succeed.

16.Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must be decided by circumstances.

17.Let your rapidity be that of the wind,

18.In raiding and plundering be like fire,

19.Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

20.When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be divided amongst your men;

21.Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.

22.He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation.

23.The Book of Army Management says:

24.Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focussed on one particular point.

25.The host thus forming a single united body, is it impossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for the cowardly to retreat alone.

26.In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners, as a means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.

27.A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;

28.Now a soldier’s spirit is keenest in the morning;

29.A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods.

30.Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:—this is the art of retaining self-possession.

31.To be near the goal while the enemy is still far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy is famished:—this is the art of husbanding one’s strength.

32.To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking an army drawn up in calm and confident array:—this is the art of studying circumstances.

33.It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.

34.Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.

35.Do not swallow a bait offered by the enemy.

36.When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.

37.Such is the art of warfare.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces.

2.When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions.

3.There are roads which must not be followed,

4.The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops.

5.The general who does not understand these, may be well acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he will not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account.

6.So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of war of varying his plans, even though he be acquainted with the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use of his men.

7.Hence in the wise leader’s plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.

8.If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential part of our schemes.

9.If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.

10.Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them;

11.The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.

12.There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;

13.These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinous to the conduct of war.

14.When an army is overthrown and its leader slain, the cause will surely be found among these five dangerous faults. Let them be a subject of meditation.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: We come now to the question of encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy. Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighbourhood of valleys.

2.Camp in high places,

3.After crossing a river, you should get far away from it.

4.When an invading force crosses a river in its onward march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream. It will be best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack.

5.If you are anxious to fight, you should not go to meet the invader near a river which he has to cross.

6.Moor your craft higher up than the enemy, and facing the sun.

7.In crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern should be to get over them quickly, without any delay.

8.If forced to fight in a salt-marsh, you should have water and grass near you, and get your back to a clump of trees.

9.In dry, level country, take up an easily accessible position with rising ground to your right and on your rear,

10.These are the four useful branches of military knowledge

11.All armies prefer high ground to low,

12.If you are careful of your men,

13.When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the sunny side, with the slope on your right rear. Thus you will at once act for the benefit of your soldiers and utilise the natural advantages of the ground.

14.When, in consequence of heavy rains up-country, a river which you wish to ford is swollen and flecked with foam, you must wait until it subsides.

15.Country in which there are precipitous cliffs with torrents running between, deep natural hollows,

16.While we keep away from such places, we should get the enemy to approach them; while we face them, we should let the enemy have them on his rear.

17.If in the neighbourhood of your camp there should be any hilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass, hollow basins filled with reeds, or woods with thick undergrowth, they must be carefully routed out and searched; for these are places where men in ambush or insidious spies are likely to be lurking.

18.When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet, he is relying on the natural strength of his position.

19.When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle, he is anxious for the other side to advance.

20.If his place of encampment is easy of access, he is tendering a bait.

21.Movement amongst the trees of a forest shows that the enemy is advancing.

22.The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade.

23.When there is dust rising in a high column, it is the sign of chariots advancing; when the dust is low, but spread over a wide area, it betokens the approach of infantry.

24.Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance.

25.When the light chariots come out first and take up a position on the wings, it is a sign that the enemy is forming for battle.

26.Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot.

27.When there is much running about

28.When some are seen advancing and some retreating, it is a lure.

29.When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food.

30.If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.

31.If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and makes no effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted.

32.If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.

33.If there is disturbance in the camp, the general’s authority is weak. If the banners and flags are shifted about, sedition is afoot. If the officers are angry, it means that the men are weary.

34.When an army feeds its horses with grain and kills its cattle for food,

35.The sight of men whispering together in small knots or speaking in subdued tones points to disaffection amongst the rank and file.

36.Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is at the end of his resources;

37.To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy’s numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.

38.When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.

39.If the enemy’s troops march up angrily and remain facing ours for a long time without either joining battle or taking themselves off again, the situation is one that demands great vigilance and circumspection.

40.If our troops are no more in number than the enemy, that is amply sufficient; it only means that no direct attack can be made.

41.He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.

42.If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be useless.

43.Therefore soldiers must be treated in the first instance with humanity, but kept under control by means of iron discipline.

44.If in training soldiers commands are habitually enforced, the army will be well-disciplined; if not, its discipline will be bad.

45.If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed,

1.Sun Tzŭ said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground;

2.Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called accessible.

3.With regard to ground of this nature, be before the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies.

4.Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.

5.From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue.

6.When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporising ground.

7.In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer us an attractive bait,

8.With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent of the enemy.

9.Should the enemy forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned.

10.With regard to precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up.

11.If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.

12.If you are situated at a great distance from the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is not easy to provoke a battle,

13.These six are the principles connected with Earth.

14.Now an army is exposed to six several calamities, not arising from natural causes, but from faults for which the general is responsible. These are: (1) Flight; (2) insubordination; (3) collapse; (4) ruin; (5) disorganisation; (6) rout.

15.Other conditions being equal, if one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the result will be the flight of the former.

16.When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination.

17.When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or no he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

18.When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct;

19.When a general, unable to estimate the enemy’s strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be a rout.

20.These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained a responsible post.

21.The natural formation of the country is the soldier’s best ally;

22.He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practises them, will surely be defeated.

23.If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler’s bidding.

24.The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace,

25.Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

26.If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.

27.If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.

28.If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.

29.If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, we have still gone only halfway towards victory.

30.Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.

31.Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war recognises nine varieties of ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground.

2.When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it is dispersive ground.

3.When he has penetrated into hostile territory, but to no great distance, it is facile ground.

4.Ground the possession of which imports great advantage to either side, is contentious ground.

5.Ground on which each side has liberty of movement is open ground.

6.Ground which forms the key to three contiguous states,

7.When an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear, it is serious ground.

8.Mountain forests,

9.Ground which is reached through narrow gorges, and from which we can only retire by tortuous paths, so that a small number of the enemy would suffice to crush a large body of our men: this is hemmed in ground.

10.Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.

11.On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not.

12.On open ground, do not try to block the enemy’s way.

13.On serious ground, gather in plunder.

14.On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem.

15.Those who were called skilful leaders of old knew how to drive a wedge between the enemy’s front and rear;

16.When the enemy’s men were scattered, they prevented them from concentrating; even when their forces were united, they managed to keep them in disorder.

17.When it was to their advantage, they made a forward move; when otherwise, they stopped still.

18.If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy in orderly array and on the point of marching to the attack, I should say: "Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will."

19.Rapidity is the essence of war:

20.The following are the principles to be observed by an invading force: The further you penetrate into a country, the greater will be the solidarity of your troops, and thus the defenders will not prevail against you.

21.Make forays in fertile country in order to supply your army with food.

22.Carefully study the well-being of your men,

23.Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.

24.Soldiers when in desperate straits lose the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm. If they are in the heart of a hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help for it, they will fight hard.

25.Thus, without waiting to be marshalled, the soldiers will be constantly on the qui vive; without waiting to be asked, they will do your will;

26.Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.

27.If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity.

28.On the day they are ordered out to battle, your soldiers may weep,

29.The skilful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch‘ang mountains.

30.Asked if an army can be made to imitate the shuai-jan,

31.Hence it is not enough to put one’s trust in the tethering of horses, and the burying of chariot wheels in the ground.

32.The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.

33.How to make the best of both strong and weak—that is a question involving the proper use of ground.

34.Thus the skilful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.

35.It is the business of a general to be quiet and thus ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order.

36.He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances,

37.By altering his arrangements and changing his plans,

38.At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladder behind him. He carries his men deep into hostile territory before he shows his hand.

39.He burns his boats and breaks his cooking-pots; like a shepherd driving a flock of sheep, he drives his men this way and that, and none knows whither he is going.

40.To muster his host and bring it into danger:—this may be termed the business of the general.

41.The different measures suited to the nine varieties of ground;

42.When invading hostile territory, the general principle is, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion; penetrating but a short way means dispersion.

43.When you leave your own country behind, and take your army across neighbourhood territory, you find yourself on critical ground.

44.When you penetrate deeply into a country, it is serious ground. When you penetrate but a little way, it is facile ground.

45.When you have the enemy’s strongholds on your rear, and narrow passes in front, it is hemmed-in ground. When there is no place of refuge at all, it is desperate ground.

46.Therefore, on dispersive ground, I would inspire my men with unity of purpose.

47.On contentious ground, I would hurry up my rear.

48.On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye on my defences. On ground of intersecting highways, I would consolidate my alliances.

49.On serious ground, I would try to ensure a continuous stream of supplies.

50.On hemmed-in ground, I would block any way of retreat.

51.For it is the soldier’s disposition to offer an obstinate resistance when surrounded, to fight hard when he cannot help himself, and to obey promptly when he has fallen into danger.

52.We cannot enter into alliance with neighbouring princes until we are acquainted with their designs. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country—its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to account unless we make use of local guides.

53.To be ignorant of any one of the following four or five principles does not befit a warlike prince.

54.When a warlike prince attacks a powerful state, his generalship shows itself in preventing the concentration of the enemy’s forces. He overawes his opponents, and their allies are prevented from joining against him.

55.Hence he does not strive to ally himself with all and sundry, nor does he foster the power of other states. He carries out his own secret designs, keeping his antagonists in awe.

56.Bestow rewards without regard to rule,

57.Confront your soldiers with the deed itself; never let them know your design.

58.Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.

59.For it is precisely when a force has fallen into harm’s way that is capable of striking a blow for victory.

60.Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.

61.By persistently hanging on the enemy’s flank,

62.This is called ability to accomplish a thing by sheer cunning.

63.On the day that you take up your command, block the frontier passes, destroy the official tallies,

64.Be stern in the council-chamber,

65.If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.

66.Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear,

67.Walk in the path defined by rule,

68.At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: There are five ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp;

2.In order to carry out an attack, we must have means available.

3.There is a proper season for making attacks with fire, and special days for starting a conflagration.

4.The proper season is when the weather is very dry; the special days are those when the moon is in the constellations of the Sieve, the Wall, the Wing or the Cross-bar;

5.In attacking with fire, one should be prepared to meet five possible developments:

6.(1) When fire breaks out inside the enemy’s camp, respond at once with an attack from without.

7.(2) If there is an outbreak of fire, but the enemy’s soldiers remain quiet, bide your time and do not attack.

8.(3) When the force of the flames has reached its height, follow it up with an attack, if that is practicable; if not, stay where you are.

9.(4) If it is possible to make an assault with fire from without, do not wait for it to break out within, but deliver your attack at a favourable moment.

11.A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long, but a night breeze soon falls.

12.In every army, the five developments connected with fire must be known, the movements of the stars calculated, and a watch kept for the proper days.

13.Hence those who use fire as an aid to the attack show intelligence; those who use water as an aid to the attack gain an accession of strength.

14.By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted, but not robbed of all his belongings.

15.Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.

16.Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.

17.Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.

18.No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.

19.If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.

20.Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.

21.But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being;

22.Hence the enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution. This is the way to keep a country at peace and an army intact.

1.Sun Tzŭ said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the State. The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces of silver.

2.Hostile armies may face each other for years, striving for the victory which is decided in a single day. This being so, to remain in ignorance of the enemy’s condition simply because one grudges the outlay of a hundred ounces of silver in honours and emoluments,

3.One who acts thus is no leader of men, no present help to his sovereign, no master of victory.

4.Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.

5.Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience,

6.Knowledge of the enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained from other men.

7.Hence the use of spies, of whom there are five classes: (1) Local spies; (2) inward spies; (3) converted spies; (4) doomed spies; (5) surviving spies.

8.When these five kinds of spy are all at work, none can discover the secret system. This is called "divine manipulation of the threads." It is the sovereign’s most precious faculty.

9.Having local spies means employing the services of the inhabitants of a district.

10.Having inward spies, making use of officials of the enemy.

11.Having converted spies, getting hold of the enemy’s spies and using them for our own purposes.

12.Having doomed spies, doing certain things openly for purposes of deception, and allowing our own spies to know of them and report them to the enemy.

13.Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring back news from the enemy’s camp.

14.Hence it is that with none in the whole army are more intimate relations to be maintained than with spies.

15.Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.

16.They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness.

17.Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports.

18.Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business.

19.If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy before the time is ripe, he must be put to death together with the man to whom the secret was told.

20.Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de- camp,

21.The enemy’s spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they will become converted spies and available for our service.

22.It is through the information brought by the converted spy that we are able to acquire and employ local and inward spies.

23.It is owing to his information, again, that we can cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.

24.Lastly, it is by his information that the surviving spy can be used on appointed occasions.

25.The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy.

26.Of old, the rise of the Yin dynasty

27.Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results.