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

11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but wins 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. Making no mistakes is what makes victory, for it means winning over an enemy that is already defeated.

14. Hence the skillful 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 perfect leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly sticks 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 defeated one, is as a pound’s weight placed in the scale against a single grain.

20. The attack of a winning force must be as fast as a speeding bullet.

V. Energy

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 no different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of setting up signs and signals.

3. Direct and indirect ways in defense is what provides the ability to resist the enemy’s attack and remain unshaken.

4. The impact of your army may be like a grindstone broken against an egg. That 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 win.

6. Indirect tactics, when applied efficiently, are endless as Heaven and Earth; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew.

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 main colours (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more shades than one can ever see.

9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them makes more flavours than one can eve taste.

10. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack-the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination makes an endless series of ways to fight.

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. How can the possibilities of their combination end?

12. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones onwards.

13. Timing is critical for the quality of decision like it is critical for a falcon to strike and destroy its victim at the right time.

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

15. Energy is like the bending of a crossbow; decision is like the releasing of the trigger.

16. In the battlefield there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all. This seeming chaos will be proof against defeat.

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

18. Making order look like disorder is simply a question of subdivision. Hiding courage under a show of hesitation means a fund of latent energy; masking strength with weakness is made by tactical dispositions.

19. Thus the skillful general keeps the enemy on move to maintain false appearances, according to which the enemy will act. He sacrifices something, that the enemy may snatch at it.

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

21. The clever fighter never requires too much from a single man but knows how combined energy is effective. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and use combined energy.

22. When he uses combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like rolling stones. For it is the nature of a stone to stay motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope. If it is four-cornered it stops, but if it is round-shaped it goes rolling down.

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

VI. Weak points and strong

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 hurry to battle, will arrive exhausted.

2. Therefore the clever fighter imposes^[5] 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 ownaccord^[6]; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to come near.

4. If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him; if well supplied with food, he can starve him out; if quietly encamped, he can force him to move.

5. Appear at points which the enemy must hurry to defend; go quickly to places where you are not expected.

6. An army may go great distances without stress, 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. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense 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; and hence we can hold the enemy’s fate in our hands.

10. You may move forward 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 want to fight we can force the enemy to engage in fighting even if he is in his hidey-hole. All we need to do is attack some other place that he will be forced to defend.

12. If we don’t want to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our camping are merely traced out on the ground. All we need to do is to throw something odd and unexpected in his way.

13. By discovering the enemy’s positions and staying invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy’s will be divided.

14. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into parts. Thus we will 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 major trouble.

16. The spot where we intend to fight must be hidden. Thus the enemy won’t be able to prepare against a possible attack at several different points; his forces will be spread in many directions, and at any given point we will face the numbers that are proportionately small.

17. For if the enemy increases his forces at the front, he weakens his back; if he increases his forces at his left, he will weaken his right; if he increases his forces at his right, he will weaken his left. f he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.

18. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength, from making our enemy 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 is known, then the left wing won’t be able to help the right, the right won’t be able to help the left, the front unable to relieve the back, or the back to support the front. How much more so if the furthest portions of the army are anything under a hundred li^[7] apart, and even the nearest are separated by several li!

21. Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yüeh exceed your own in number, that will not help them in the matter of victory. I say then that victory can be achieved.

22. Through the enemy is stronger in numbers, we may prevent him from fighting. You need to discover his plans and the probability of their success.

23. Rouse him, and learn the pattern of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his weak spots.

24. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is extra and where it is not enough.

25. When making tactical positions the most important things is to hide them. Thus you will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisest brains.

26. How victory may be achieved for them out of the enemy’s own tactics-that is what most people cannot understand.

27. Everyone can see the tactics whereby I win, but few can see 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 endless variety of circumstances.

29. Military tactics are like water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and rushes 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 depending on the enemy he is facing.

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

33. He who can change his tactics depending on what opponent he is facing and thereby win, may be called a heaven-born captain.

34. The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are not always equally presented; the four seasons make way for each other in turn. There are short days and long; the moon has its periods of waning and waxing^[8].