The Art of War

孙子兵法 计篇第一计篇 孙子曰：兵者，国之大事，死生之地，存亡之道，不可不察也。故经之以五，校之以计，而索其情：一曰道，二曰天，三曰地，四曰将，五曰法。道者，令民于上同意者也，可与之死，可与之生，民不诡也。天者，阴阳、寒暑、时制也。地者，高下、远近、险易、广狭、死生也。将者，智、信、仁、勇、严也。法者，曲制、官道、主用也。凡此五者，将莫不闻，知之者胜，不知之者不胜。故校之以计，而索其情。曰：主孰有道？将孰有能？天地孰得？法令孰行？兵众孰强？士卒孰练？赏罚孰明？吾以此知胜负矣。将听吾计，用之必胜，留之﹔将不听吾计，用之必败，去之。计利以听，乃为之势，以佐其外。势者，因利而制权也。兵者，诡道也。故能而示之不能，用而示之不用，近而示之远，远而示之近。利而诱之，乱而取之，实而备之，强而避之，怒而挠之，卑而骄之，佚而劳之，亲而离之，攻其不备，出其不意。此兵家之胜，不可先传也。

The Art of War states that war is a nation's supreme concern, involving life and death and survival or ruin, which must be examined carefully; therefore, one evaluates five factors—way (the unity of the people), season and terrain, leadership qualities (wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage, discipline), and organization—and uses this assessment to discern the true situation before forming strategic advantages.

For a reader today This passage offers a historical framework for analyzing military variables and provides time-tested principles on preparation and deception used in conflict scenarios.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

形篇第四形篇 孙子曰：昔之善战者，先为不可胜，以侍敌之可胜。不可胜在己，可胜在敌。故善战者，能为不可胜，不能使敌之必可胜。故曰：胜可知，而不可为。不可胜者，守也﹔可胜者，攻也。守则不足，攻则有余。善守者，藏于九地之下﹔善攻者，动于九天之上。故能自保而全胜也。见胜不过众人之所知，非善之善者也﹔战胜而天下曰善，非善之善者也。故举秋毫不为多力，见日月不为明目，闻雷霆不为聪耳。古之所谓善战者，胜于易胜者也。故善战之胜也，无智名，无勇功。故其战胜不忒。不忒者，其所措必胜，胜已败者也。故善战者，立于不败之地，而不失敌之败也。是故胜兵先胜而后求战，败兵先战而后求胜。善用兵者，修道而保法，故能为胜败之政。兵法：一曰度，二曰量，三曰数，四曰称，五曰胜。地生度，度生量，量生数，数生称，称生胜。故胜兵若以镒称铢，败兵若以铢称镒。胜者之战民也，若决积水于千仞之溪者，形也。

Sun Tzu said that superior commanders first ensure their own invincibility to await an enemy's vulnerability; since invincibility depends on oneself but victory relies on the enemy, one can only anticipate victory, not force it, meaning a true strategist protects themselves to achieve complete triumph without relying on clever reputations or bold displays. He taught that defending means covering one's gaps while attacking reveals abundance, so a wise defender hides like something beneath nine layers of earth and an expert attacker strikes from the ninth heaven above; thus victory comes before seeking battle, while defeat seeks victory after engaging in combat, all because success flows from building strength through proper standards of measurement where land yields size, size yields count, count yields weight, weight yields comparison, and comparison yields victory.

For a reader today This text offers practical guidance on securing your own position first before looking for opportunities to win any conflict or competition. It suggests that reliable success comes from disciplined preparation rather than risky gambles.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

军争篇第七军争篇 孙子曰：凡用兵之法，将受命于君，合军聚众，交和而舍，莫难于军争。军争之难者，以迂为直，以患为利。故迂其途，而诱之以利，后人发，先人至，此知迂直之计者也。故军争为利，军争为危。举军而争利，则不及﹔委军而争利，则辎重捐。是故卷甲而趋，日夜不处，倍道兼行，百里而争利，则擒三将军，劲者先，疲者后，其法十一而至﹔五十里而争利，则蹶上将军，其法半至﹔三十里而争利，则三分之二至。是故军无辎重则亡，无粮食则亡，无委积则亡。故不知诸侯之谋者，不能豫交﹔不知山林、险阻、沮泽之形者，不能行军﹔不用乡导者，不能得地利。故兵以诈立，以利动，以分和为变者也。故其疾如风，其徐如林，侵掠如火，不动如山，难知如阴，动如雷震。掠乡分众，廓地分守，悬权而动。先知迂直之计者胜，此军争之法也。军政曰：「言不相闻，故为金鼓；视而不见，故为旌旗。

In The Art of War, General Sun Tzu states that the most difficult aspect of maneuvering armies is to achieve a direct objective by taking an indirect route and turning potential hazards into advantages; he advises luring enemies through deceptive paths to arrive before them, warns that moving rapidly without supplies leads to the loss of equipment and personnel depending on distance, and emphasizes relying on signals like drums and flags when orders cannot be heard.

For a reader today This passage offers strategic advice on planning military movements and adapting tactics based on terrain and enemy actions.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

地形篇 孙子曰：地形有通者、有挂者、有支者、有隘者、有险者、有远者。我可以往，彼可以来，曰通。通形者，先居高阳，利粮道，以战则利。可以往，难以返，曰挂。挂形者，敌无备，出而胜之，敌若有备，出而不胜，则难以返，不利。我出而不利，彼出而不利，曰支。支形者，敌虽利我，我无出也，引而去之，令敌半出而击之，利。隘形者，我先居之，必盈之以待敌。若敌先居之，盈而勿从，不盈而从之。险形者，我先居之，必居高阳以待敌﹔若敌先居之，引而去之，勿从也。远形者，势均，难以挑战，战而不利。凡此六者，地之道也，将之至任，不可不察也。故兵有走者、有驰者、有陷者、有崩者、有乱者、有北者。凡此六者，非天之灾，将之过也。夫势均，以一击十，曰走。卒强吏弱，曰驰。吏强卒弱，曰陷。大吏怒而不服，遇敌怼而自战，将不知其能，曰崩。将弱不严，教道不明，吏卒无常，陈兵纵横，曰乱。将不能料敌，以少合众，以弱击强，兵无选锋，曰北。

The general Sun Tzu outlines six types of terrain—easy passages, difficult reverses, stalemates, narrow passes, steep heights, and distant fronts—providing strategic guidance on positioning supplies and engaging enemies based on these conditions. He further categorizes six kinds of military defeat caused by a commander's errors rather than fate: collapse when evenly matched forces clash with one-tenth their size, disarray from weak leadership over strong troops, or defeat due to poor judgment in matching weak armies against stronger foes.

For a reader today This text offers timeless principles for adapting strategy to environmental constraints and emphasizes that leadership failures often cause military disasters. It serves as a guide for understanding how terrain and command decisions directly influence battlefield outcomes.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

驱而往，驱而来，莫知所之。聚三军之众，投之于险，此谓将军之事也。九地之变，屈伸之力，人情之理，不可不察也。凡为客之道：深则专，浅则散。去国越境而师者，绝地也﹔四达者，衢地也﹔入深者，重地也﹔入浅者，轻地也﹔背固前隘者，围地也﹔无所往者，死地也。是故散地，吾将一其志﹔轻地，吾将使之属﹔争地，吾将趋其后﹔交地，吾将谨其守﹔衢地，吾将固其结﹔重地，吾将继其食﹔圮地，吾将进其途﹔围地，吾将塞其阙﹔死地，吾将示之以不活。故兵之情：围则御，不得已则斗，过则从。是故不知诸侯之谋者，不能预交。不知山林、险阻、沮泽之形者，不能行军。不用乡导，不能得地利。四五者，不知一，非霸、王之兵也。夫霸、王之兵，伐大国，则其众不得聚﹔威加于敌，则其交不得合。是故不争天下之交，不养天下之权，信己之私，威加于敌，则其城可拔，其国可隳。施无法之赏，悬无政之令，犯三军之众，若使一人。犯之以事，勿告以言。犯之以利，勿告以害。

As armies move back and forth without a fixed course, the general must gather vast forces into perilous situations; these nine shifting terrains reflect human nature that cannot be ignored, so when operating abroad, deep penetration demands unity while shallow entry invites dispersal, whether crossing borders, entering mountain depths, facing narrow fronts, or reaching dead ends, each requires specific strategies such as aligning wills, linking lines, rushing to reinforcements, guarding alliances, securing ties, sustaining supplies, advancing through broken ground, blocking escapes, and showing no hope of life; soldiers naturally defend when surrounded, fight only when forced, and follow orders without question.

For a reader today This passage offers practical guidance on military strategy in ancient China, presenting rules for managing troops across different battlefield conditions. It describes techniques for leaders to command armies effectively by adapting tactics to terrain and human psychology.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.