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Original |
Translation |
| 1 |
孫子曰：凡用兵之法，將受命于君，
|
Sun Zi said: In war, the general receives his
commands from the sovereign.
|
| 2 |
合軍聚眾，交和而舍，莫難于軍爭。 |
Having collected an army and concentrated his forces,
he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof
before pitching his camp. |
| 3 |
軍爭之難者，以迂為直，以患為利。 |
After that, comes tactical maneuvering,
than which there is nothing more difficult.
The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists
in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain. |
| 4 |
故迂其途，而誘之以利，後人發，先人至，此知迂直之計者也。 |
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 |
故軍爭為利，軍爭為危。 |
Maneuvering with an army is advantageous;
with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous. |
| 6 |
舉軍而爭利，則不及﹔委軍而爭利，則輜重捐。 |
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 |
是故卷甲而趨，日夜不處，倍道兼行，百里而爭利，則擒三將軍， |
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,
doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage,
the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into
the hands of the enemy. |
| 8 |
勁者先，疲者後，其法十一而至﹔ |
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 |
五十里而爭利，則蹶上將軍，其
法半至﹔ |
If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver
the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division,
and only half your force will reach the goal. |
| 10 |
三十里而爭利，則三分之二至。 |
If you march thirty LI with the same object,
two-thirds of your army will arrive. |
| 11 |
是故軍無輜重則亡，無糧食則亡，無委積則亡。 |
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 |
故不知諸侯之謀者，不能豫交﹔ |
We cannot enter into alliances until we are
acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. |
| 13 |
不知山林、險阻、沮澤之形者，不能
行軍﹔ |
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 |
不用鄉導者，不能得地利。 |
We shall be unable to turn natural advantage
to account unless we make use of local guides. |
| 15 |
故兵以詐立，以利動， |
In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed. |
| 16 |
以分和為變者也。 |
Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops,
must be decided by circumstances. |
| 17 |
故其疾如風，其徐如林。 |
Let your rapidity be that of the wind,
your compactness that of the forest. |
| 18 |
侵掠如火，不動如山， |
In raiding and plundering be like fire,
is immovability like a mountain. |
| 19 |
難知如陰，動如雷震 |
Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,
and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
|
| 20 |
掠鄉分眾，廓地分守。 |
When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be
divided amongst your men; when you capture new territory,
cut it up into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery. |
| 21 |
懸權而動。 |
Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. |
| 22 |
先知迂直之計者勝，此軍爭之法也 |
He will conquer who has learnt the artifice
of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering. |
| 23 |
軍政曰：「言不相聞，故為金鼓；視而不見，故為旌旗。」 |
The Book of Army Management says: On the field
of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough:
hence the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary
objects be seen clearly enough: hence the institution
of banners and flags. |
| 24 |
夫金鼓旌旗者，所以一人之耳目也； |
Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means
whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused
on one particular point. |
| 25 |
人既專一， 則勇者不得獨進，
怯者不得獨退，此用眾之法也。 |
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. This is the art
of handling large masses of men. |
| 26 |
故夜戰多火鼓，晝戰多旌旗，所以變人之耳目也。 |
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 |
故三軍可奪氣，將軍可奪心。 |
A whole army may be robbed of its spirit; a commander-in-chief may be robbed
of his presence of mind. |
| 28 |
是故朝氣銳，晝氣惰，暮氣歸。 |
Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to
flag; and in the evening, his mind is bent only on
returning to camp. |
| 29 |
故善用兵者，避其銳氣，擊其惰歸，此治氣者也。 |
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 |
以治待亂，以靜待嘩，此治心者也。 |
Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst
the enemy:--this is the art of retaining self-possession. |
| 31 |
以近待遠，以佚待勞，以飽待飢，此治力者也。 |
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 |
無邀正正之旗，無擊堂堂之陣，此治變者也。 |
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 |
故用兵之法，高陵勿向，背丘勿逆， |
It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose
him when he comes downhill. |
| 34 |
佯北勿從，銳卒勿攻， |
Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper
is keen. |
| 35 |
餌兵勿食，歸師勿遏， |
Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that
is returning home. |
| 36 |
圍師遺闕，窮寇勿迫，。 |
When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe
too hard. |
| 37 |
此用兵之法也 |
Such is the art of warfare. |
