smalltalk
07-12-2003, 13:38
I spose you've all heard of Sun Tzu's Art of War.
But did you know there is also a traditional list of 36 chinese stratagems?
Stratagems for a stronger force
1. Cross the sea by fooling heaven.
2. Besiege Kingdom Wei to rescue Kingdom Zhao.
3. Kill with a borrowed knife.
4. Relax while the enemy exhausts himself.
5. Loot a burning house.
6. Clamor in the East while attacking in the West.
Stratagems for Two Equal Forces
7. Create something out of nothing.
8. Pretend to take path A while secretly taking path B.
9. Watch the fires burning from across the river.
10. Conceal a dagger in a smile.
11. Sacrifice the plum tree for the peach tree.
12. Lead away a goat in passing.
Stratagems for direct attack
13. Beat the grass to startle the snake.
14. Borrow a corpse to return the soul.
15. Lure the tiger out of the mountains.
16. Snag the enemy by letting him off the hook.
17. Cast a brick to attract a piece of jade.
18. Catch the ringleader to nab the bandits.
Stratagems to confuse the enemy
19. Steal the firewood from under the cooking pot.
20. Muddle the water to catch the fish.
21. The cicada sheds its shell.
22. Shut the door to catch the thief.
23. Befriend distant states while attacking the nearby ones.
24. Borrow the safe passage to conquer the kingdom of A.
Stratagems to gain ground
25. Replace the beams and pillars with rotten timber.
26. Point at the mulberry but curse the locust.
27. Play dumb while remaining smart.
28. Take away the ladder after the ascent.
29. Deck the tree with bogus blossoms.
30. The guest becomes the host.
Stratagems when in a Desperate Situation
31. The beautiful woman stratagem.
32. The empty city stratagem.
33. The counter-espionage stratagem.
34. The self-torture stratagem.
35. The interrelated stratagem.
36. Running away is the best stratagem.
As some are really cryptic, I will elaborate on a few of them.
Let me start with
#36 Running away is the best stratagem.
aka "Know when It is best to run"
aka "He Who Runs Away Today Lives to Fight Another Day"
If you cannot win, then losing is no solution, and dying will not solve any military justice. Therefore, flee. Return when the time is right.
But did you know there is also a traditional list of 36 chinese stratagems?
Stratagems for a stronger force
1. Cross the sea by fooling heaven.
2. Besiege Kingdom Wei to rescue Kingdom Zhao.
3. Kill with a borrowed knife.
4. Relax while the enemy exhausts himself.
5. Loot a burning house.
6. Clamor in the East while attacking in the West.
Stratagems for Two Equal Forces
7. Create something out of nothing.
8. Pretend to take path A while secretly taking path B.
9. Watch the fires burning from across the river.
10. Conceal a dagger in a smile.
11. Sacrifice the plum tree for the peach tree.
12. Lead away a goat in passing.
Stratagems for direct attack
13. Beat the grass to startle the snake.
14. Borrow a corpse to return the soul.
15. Lure the tiger out of the mountains.
16. Snag the enemy by letting him off the hook.
17. Cast a brick to attract a piece of jade.
18. Catch the ringleader to nab the bandits.
Stratagems to confuse the enemy
19. Steal the firewood from under the cooking pot.
20. Muddle the water to catch the fish.
21. The cicada sheds its shell.
22. Shut the door to catch the thief.
23. Befriend distant states while attacking the nearby ones.
24. Borrow the safe passage to conquer the kingdom of A.
Stratagems to gain ground
25. Replace the beams and pillars with rotten timber.
26. Point at the mulberry but curse the locust.
27. Play dumb while remaining smart.
28. Take away the ladder after the ascent.
29. Deck the tree with bogus blossoms.
30. The guest becomes the host.
Stratagems when in a Desperate Situation
31. The beautiful woman stratagem.
32. The empty city stratagem.
33. The counter-espionage stratagem.
34. The self-torture stratagem.
35. The interrelated stratagem.
36. Running away is the best stratagem.
As some are really cryptic, I will elaborate on a few of them.
Let me start with
#36 Running away is the best stratagem.
aka "Know when It is best to run"
aka "He Who Runs Away Today Lives to Fight Another Day"
If you cannot win, then losing is no solution, and dying will not solve any military justice. Therefore, flee. Return when the time is right.