编者说 《孙子兵法》是中国现存最早的兵书,也是世界上最早的军事著作,被誉为“兵学圣典”。国外的高等教育中,《孙子兵法》在军事、行政、管理领域都是必读书目。老师带你们看看双语版的孙子兵法。 谋攻第三 III. Attack by Stratagem 孙子曰:夫用兵之法,全国为上,破国次之;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。是故百战百胜,非善之善也;不战而屈人之兵,善之善者也。 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. 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. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. 故上兵伐谋,其次伐交,其次伐兵,其下攻城。 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; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. 攻城之法,为不得已。 The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided. 修橹□①□②(①:[车贲]。②:“温”字“氵”旁换“车”旁。),具器械,三月而后成;距堙,又三月而后已。 The preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over against the walls will take three months more. 将不胜其忿而蚁附之,杀士卒三分之一,而城不拔者,此攻之灾也。 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. 故善用兵者,屈人之兵而非战也,拔人之城而非攻也,毁人之国而非久也,必以全争于天下,故兵不顿而利可全,此谋攻之法也。 Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. 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. 故用兵之法,十则围之,五则攻之,倍则分之,敌则能战之,少则能逃之,不若则能避之。故小敌之坚,大敌之擒也。 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. 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. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force. 夫将者,国之辅也。辅周则国必强,辅隙则国必弱。 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. 故君之所以患于军者三:不知军之不可以进而谓之进,不知军之不可以退而谓之退,是谓縻军;不知三军之事而同三军之政,则军士惑矣;不知三军之权而同三军之任,则军士疑矣。 There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:-- By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army. 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. 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. 三军既惑且疑,则诸侯之难至矣。是谓乱军引胜。 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. 故知胜有五:知可以战与不可以战者胜,识众寡之用者胜,上下同欲者胜,以虞待不虞者胜,将能而君不御者胜。此五者,知胜之道也。 Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. 故曰:知己知彼,百战不贻;不知彼而知己,一胜一负;不知彼不知己,每战必败。 Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. 第四集 军形第四 IV. Tactical Dispositions 孙子曰:昔之善战者,先为不可胜,以待敌之可胜。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。 Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy. Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it. 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。 Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength. 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. Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a victory that is complete. 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。 To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says, 'Well done!' 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. 古之所谓善战者,胜于易胜者也。故善战者之胜也,无智名,无勇功,故其战胜不忒。不忒者,其所措胜,胜已败者也。 What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage. 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. 故善战者,立于不败之地,而不失敌之败也。 Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy. 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。 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. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success. 兵法:一曰度,二曰量,三曰数,四曰称,五曰胜。 In respect of military method, we have, firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances; fifthly, Victory. 地生度,度生量,量生数,数生称,称生胜。 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. 故胜兵若以镒称铢,败兵若以铢称镒。 A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain. 称胜者之战民也,若决积水于千仞之溪者,形也。 The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep. 第五集 兵势第五 V. Energy 孙子曰:凡治众如治寡,分数是也;斗众如斗寡,形名是也;三军之众,可使必受敌而无败者,奇正是也;兵之所加,如以碫投卵者,虚实是也。 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. Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals. 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. 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. 凡战者,以正合,以奇胜。故善出奇者,无穷如天地,不竭如江海。终而复始,日月是也。死而更生,四时是也。 In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more. 声不过五,五声之变,不可胜听也;色不过五,五色之变,不可胜观也;味不过五,五味之变,不可胜尝也;战势不过奇正,奇正之变,不可胜穷也。 There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. 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. 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. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers. 奇正相生,如循环之无端,孰能穷之哉! 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. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination? 激水之疾,至于漂石者,势也;鸷鸟之疾,至于毁折者,节也。 The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones along in its course.. The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. 故善战者,其势险,其节短。势如扩弩,节如发机。 Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. . Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger. 纷纷纭纭,斗乱而不可乱;浑浑沌沌,形圆而不可败。 Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat. 乱生于治,怯生于勇,弱生于强。 Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline, simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength. 治乱,数也;勇怯,势也;强弱,形也。 Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy; masking strength with weakness is to be effected by tactical dispositions. 故善动敌者,形之,敌必从之;予之,敌必取之。以利动之,以卒待之。 Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to which the enemy will act. He sacrifices something, that the enemy may snatch at it. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him. 故善战者,求之于势,不责于人故能择人而任势。 The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy. 任势者,其战人也,如转木石。木石之性,安则静,危则动,方则止,圆则行。 When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if round-shaped, to go rolling down. 故善战人之势,如转圆石于千仞之山者,势也。 Thus the energy developed by good fighting men is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject of energy. 如果你喜欢这样的内容请关注“英语口语” 第六集 虚实第六 VI. Weak Points and Strong 孙子曰:凡先处战地而待敌者佚,后处战地而趋战者劳。 Sun Tzu 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 hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. 故善战者,致人而不致于人。能使敌人自至者,利之也;能使敌人不得至者,害之也。 Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him. By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near. 故敌佚能劳之,饱能饥之,安能动之。出其所必趋,趋其所不意。 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. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. 行千里而不劳者,行于无人之地也;攻而必取者,攻其所不守也。守而必固者,守其所必攻也。 An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not. 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. 故善攻者,敌不知其所守;善守者,敌不知其所攻。 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. 微乎微乎,至于无形;神乎神乎,至于无声,故能为敌之司命。 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. 进而不可御者,冲其虚也;退而不可追者,速而不可及也。 You may advance 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. If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve. 故我欲战,敌虽高垒深沟,不得不与我战者,攻其所必救也;我不欲战,虽画地而守之,敌不得与我战者,乖其所之也。 .If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way. 故形人而我无形,则我专而敌分。我专为一,敌分为十,是以十攻其一也。则我众敌寡,能以众击寡者,则吾之所与战者约矣。 By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy's must be divided. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted against separate parts of a whole, which means that we shall be many to the enemy's few. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force with a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits. 吾所与战之地不可知,不可知则敌所备者多,敌所备者多,则吾所与战者寡矣。 The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points; and his forces being thus distributed in many directions, the numbers we shall have to face at any given point will be proportionately few. 故备前则后寡,备后则前寡,备左则右寡,备右则左寡,无所不备,则无所不寡。 For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak. 寡者,备人者也;众者,使人备己者也。 Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling our adversary to make these preparations against us. 故知战之地,知战之日,则可千里而会战;不知战之地,不知战日,则左不能救右,右不能救左,前不能救后,后不能救前,而况远者数十里,近者数里乎! Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order to fight. But if neither time nor place be known, then the left wing will be impotent to succor the right, the right equally impotent to succor the left, the van unable to relieve the rear, or the rear to support the van. How much more so if the furthest portions of the army are anything under a hundred LI apart, and even the nearest are separated by several LI! 以吾度之,越人之兵虽多,亦奚益于胜哉! Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yueh exceed our own in number, that shall advantage them nothing in the matter of victory. 故曰:胜可为也。 I say then that victory can be achieved. 敌虽众,可使无斗。 Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may prevent him from fighting. 故策之而知得失之计,候之而知动静之理,形之而知死生之地,角之而知有余不足之处。 Scheme so as to discover his plans and the likelihood of their success. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient. 故形兵之极,至于无形。无形则深间不能窥,智者不能谋。因形而措胜于众,众不能知。 In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them; conceal your dispositions, and you will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisest brains. 26. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend. 人皆知我所以胜之形,而莫知吾所以制胜之形。故其战胜不复,而应形于无穷。 All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances. 夫兵形象水,水之行避高而趋下,兵之形避实而击虚;水因地而制流,兵因敌而制胜。 Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. 故兵无常势,水无常形。能因敌变化而取胜者,谓之神。 Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain. 故五行无常胜,四时无常位,日有短长,月有死生。 The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are not always equally predominant; 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. 第七篇 军争第七 VII. Maneuvering 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。 Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before pitching his camp. 3. After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which there is nothing more difficult. 军争之难者,以迂为直,以患为利。 The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain. 故迂其途,而诱之以利,后人发,先人至,此知迂直之计者也。 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. 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。 Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous. 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. 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。 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. 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. 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. If you march thirty LI with the same object, two-thirds of your army will arrive. 是故军无辎重则亡,无粮食则亡,无委积则亡。 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. 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。 We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. 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. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage to account unless we make use of local guides. 故兵以诈立,以利动,以分和为变者也。 In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must be decided by circumstances. 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。 Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest. In raiding and plundering be like fire, is immovability like a mountain. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. 掠乡分众,廓地分利,悬权而动。先知迂直之计者胜,此军争之法也。 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. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering. 《军政》曰:“言不相闻,故为之金鼓;视不相见,故为之旌旗。”夫金鼓旌旗者,所以一民之耳目也。 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. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point. 故夜战多金鼓,昼战多旌旗,所以变人之耳目也。民既专一,则勇者不得独进,怯者不得独退,此用众之法也。 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. 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. 三军可夺气,将军可夺心。是故朝气锐,昼气惰,暮气归。 A whole army may be robbed of its spirit; a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind. 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. 善用兵者,避其锐气,击其惰归,此治气者也。以治待乱,以静待哗,此治心者也。 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. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art of retaining self-possession. 以近待远,以佚待劳,以饱待饥,此治力者也。无邀正正之旗,无击堂堂之陈,此治变者也。 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. 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. 故用兵之法,高陵勿向,背丘勿逆,佯北勿从,锐卒勿攻,饵兵勿食,归师勿遏,围师遗阙,穷寇勿迫,此用兵之法也。 It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard. Such is the art of warfare. 第八篇 九变第八 VIII. Variation in Tactics 孙子曰:凡用兵之法,将受命于君,合军聚合。 Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces 泛地无舍,衢地合交,绝地无留,围地则谋,死地则战,途有所不由,军有所不击,城有所不攻,地有所不争,君命有所不受。 When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions. In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem. In desperate position, you must fight. There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must be not attacked, towns which must be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed. 故将通于九变之利者,知用兵矣;将不通九变之利,虽知地形,不能得地之利矣;治兵不知九变之术,虽知五利,不能得人之用矣。 The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops. The general who does not understand these, may be well acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he will not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account. So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of war of varying his plans, even though he be acquainted with the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use of his men. 是故智者之虑,必杂于利害,杂于利而务可信也,杂于害而患可解也。 Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential part of our schemes. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune. 是故屈诸侯者以害,役诸侯者以业,趋诸侯者以利。 Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them; and make trouble for them, and keep them constantly engaged; hold out specious allurements, and make them rush to any given point. 故用兵之法,无恃其不来,恃吾有以待之;无恃其不攻,恃吾有所不可攻也。 The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. 故将有五危,必死可杀,必生可虏,忿速可侮,廉洁可辱,爱民可烦。凡此五者,将之过也,用兵之灾也。 There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: Recklessness, which leads to destruction; cowardice, which leads to capture; a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame; over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble. These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinous to the conduct of war. 覆军杀将,必以五危,不可不察也。 . When an army is overthrown and its leader slain, the cause will surely be found among these five dangerous faults. Let them be a subject of meditation. 第九篇 |
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