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(1). Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. 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.

孙子曰:兵者,国之大事,死生之地,存亡之道,不可不察也。

(2). 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.

故经之以五,校之以计,而索其情

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

一曰道,二曰天,三曰地,四曰将,五曰法。

(4). The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

道者,令民于上同意者也,可与之死,可与之生,民不诡也。

(5). Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat,times and seasons. Earth comprises distances, great and small;danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

天者,阴阳、寒暑、时制也。地者,高下、远近、险易、广狭、死生也。

(6). The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.

将者,智、信、仁、勇、严也。

(7). By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions,the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

法者,曲制、官道、主用也。

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

凡此五者,将莫不闻,知之者胜,不知之者不胜。

(9). Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison

故校之以计,而索其情。

(10). In this wise:--(1)Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?(2)Which of the two generals has most ability? (3)With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?

曰:主孰有道?将孰有能?天地孰得?

(11). (4)On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?(5)Which army is stronger?(6)On which side are officers and men more highly trained?(7)In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

法令孰行?兵众孰强?士卒孰练?赏罚孰明?

(12). By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.

吾以此知胜负矣。

(13). 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!

将听吾计,用之必胜,留之。﹔将不听吾计,用之必败,去之。

(14). While heading the profit of my counsel,avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules.

计利以听,乃为之势,以佐其外。

(15). According as circumstances are favorable,one should modify one’s plans.

势者,因利而制权也。

(16). All warfare is based on deception.

兵者,诡道也。

(17). 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.

故能而示之不能,用而示之不用,近而示之远,远而示之近。

(18). Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder,and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.

利而诱之,乱而取之,实而备之,强而避之

(19). If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.

怒而挠之,卑而骄之,佚而劳之,亲而离之

(20). Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

攻其不备,出其不意。

(21). These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.

此兵家之胜,不可先传也。

(22). Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand.

夫未战而庙算胜者,得算多也。﹔未战而庙算不胜者,得算少也。

(23). Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

多算胜,少算不胜,而况无算乎!吾以此观之,胜负见矣。

(24). Sun Tzu 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, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li

孙子曰:凡用兵之法,驰车千驷,革车千乘,带甲十万,千里馈粮

(25). The expenditure at home and at the front,including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor,will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100000

则内外之费，宾客之用，胶漆之材，车甲之奉，日费千金，然后十万之师举矣。

(26). When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped.

其用战也贵胜,久则钝兵挫锐

(27). If you lay siege to a town,you will exhaust your strength. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain.

攻城则力屈,久暴师则国用不足。

(28). Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor 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.

夫钝兵挫锐,屈力殚货,则诸侯乘其弊而起,虽有智者,不能善其后矣。

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

故兵闻拙速,未睹巧之久也。

(30). There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

夫兵久而国利者,未之有也。

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

故不尽知用兵之害者,则不能尽知用兵之利也。

(32). The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy,neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice. Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.

善用兵者,役不再籍,粮不三载﹔取用于国,因粮于敌,故军食可足也。

(33). 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.

国之贫于师者远输,远输则百姓贫。

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

近师者贵卖,贵卖则百姓竭,财竭则急于丘役。

(35). With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare,and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated

力屈、财殚,中原内虚于家。百姓之费,十去其七﹔

(36). While government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses,breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields,protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons,will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.

公家之费:破军罢马,甲冑矢弩,戟盾蔽橹,丘牛大车,十去其六。

(37). Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy.

故智将务食于敌。

(38). 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.

食敌一钟,当吾二十钟﹔箕杆一石,当吾二十石。

(39). 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.

故杀敌者,怒也﹔取敌之利者,货也。

(40). Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first.

故车战,得车十乘已上,赏其先得者

(41). Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours.

而更其旌旗,车杂而乘之

(42). The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one’s own strength.

卒善而养之,是谓胜敌而益强。

(43). In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

故兵贵胜,不贵久。

(44). 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.

故知兵之将,民之司命,国家安危之主也。

(45). Sun Tzu 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.

孙子曰:凡用兵之法,全国为上,破国次之﹔

(46). So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it,to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

全军为上,破军次之﹔全旅为上,破旅次之,﹔全卒为上,破卒次之﹔全伍为上,破伍次之。

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

是故百战百胜,非善之善也﹔不战而屈人之兵,善之善者也。

(48). Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy’s plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy’s forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy’s army in the field

故上兵伐谋,其次伐交,其次伐兵

(49). And the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided.

其下攻城。攻城之法为不得已。

(50). The preparation of mantlets,movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take up three whole months

修橹轒辒、具器械、三月而后成

(51). And the piling up of mounds over against the walls will take three months more.

距闉,又三月而后已。

(52). The general, unable to control his irritation,will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain,while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.

将不胜其忿,而蚁附之,杀士三分之一,而城不拔者,此攻之灾也。

(53). Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting

故善用兵者,屈人之兵而非战也。

(54). He captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.

拔人之城而非攻也,破人之国而非久也,必以全争于天下

(55). With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.

故兵不顿,而利可全,此谋攻之法也。

(56). 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; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.

故用兵之法,十则围之,五则攻之,倍则分之

(57). If equally matched, we can offer battle;if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy;if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.

敌则能战之,少则能逃之,不若则能避之。

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

故小敌之坚,大敌之擒也。

(59). 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.

夫将者,国之辅也。辅周则国必强,辅隙则国必弱。

(60). There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:--

故君之所以患于军者三

(61). (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.

不知军之不可以进而谓之进,不知军之不可以退而谓之退,是为縻军﹔

(62). (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.

不知三军之事,而同三军之政者,则军士惑矣﹔

(63). (3)by employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances.This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.

不知三军之权,而同三军之任,则军士疑矣。

(64). 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.

三军既惑且疑,则诸侯之难至矣,是谓乱军引胜。

(65). 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.

故知胜有五:知可以战与不可以战者胜

(66). (2)He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. (3)He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

识众寡之用者胜,上下同欲者胜

(67). (4)He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.(5)He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

以虞待不虞者胜,将能而君不御者胜。此五者,知胜之道也。

(68). Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

故曰:知己知彼,百战不贻﹔

(69). If you know yourself but not the enemy,for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

不知彼而知己,一胜一负﹔

(70). If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

不知彼不知己,每战必贻。

(71). Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first putthemselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

孙子曰:昔之善战者,先为不可胜,以侍敌之可胜。

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

不可胜在己,可胜在敌。

(73). Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeatbut cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.

故善战者,能为不可胜,不能使敌之必可胜。

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

故曰:胜可知,而不可为。

(75). Security against defeat implies defensive tactics;ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.

不可胜者,守也﹔可胜者,攻也。

(76). Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.

守则不足,攻则有余。

(77). The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.

善守者,藏于九地之下﹔善攻者,动于九天之上。

(78). Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves;on the other, a victory that is complete.

故能自保而全胜也。

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

战胜而天下曰善,非善之善者也。

(80). To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength;to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.

故举秋毫不为多力,见日月不为明目,闻雷霆不为聪耳。....(please sign in for more)

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

古之所谓善战者,胜于易胜者也。....(please sign in for more)

(82). Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage.

故善战之胜也,无智名,无勇功。....(please sign in for more)

(83). He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

故其战胜不忒。不忒者,其所措必胜,胜已败者也。....(please sign in for more)

(84). Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.

故善战者,立于不败之地,而不失敌之败也。....(please sign in for more)

(85). 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.

是故胜兵先胜而后求战,败兵先战而后求胜。....(please sign in for more)

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

善用兵者,修道而保法,故能为胜败之政。....(please sign in for more)

(87). In respect of military method, we have,firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity;thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, balancing of chances;fifthly, Victory.

兵法:一曰度,二曰量,三曰数,四曰称,五曰胜。....(please sign in for more)

(88). 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.

地生度,度生量,量生数,数生称,称生胜。....(please sign in for more)

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

故胜兵若以镒称铢,败兵若以铢称镒。....(please sign in for more)

(90). The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.

胜者之战民也,若决积水于千仞之溪者,形也。....(please sign in for more)

(91). Sun Tzu 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.

孙子曰:凡治众如治寡,分数是也﹔....(please sign in for more)

(92). To ensure that your whole host may withstand the brunt of the enemy’s attack and remain unshaken--this is effected by maneuvers direct and indirect.

三军之众,可使必受敌而无败,奇正是也﹔....(please sign in for more)

(93). 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.

兵之所加,如以碫投卵者,虚实是也。....(please sign in for more)

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

凡战者,以正合,以奇胜。....(please sign in for more)

(95). Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams

故善出奇者,无穷如天地,不竭如江河。....(please sign in for more)

(96). Like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew

终而复始,日月是也。....(please sign in for more)

(97). Like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

死而复生,四时是也。....(please sign in for more)

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

声不过五,五声之变,不可胜听也。....(please sign in for more)

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

色不过五,五色之变,不可胜观也。....(please sign in for more)

(100). There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.

味不过五,五味之变,不可胜尝也。....(please sign in for more)