The Art of War Sun Tzu (most read books of all time txt) 📖

The original text has 故 instead of 舉; but a verb is needed to balance 委. ↩

委軍 is evidently unintelligible to the Chinese commentators, who paraphrase the sentence as though it began with 棄輜. Absolute tautology in the apodosis can then only be avoided by drawing an impossibly fine distinction between 棄 and 捐. I submit my own rendering without much enthusiasm, being convinced that there is some deep-seated corruption in the text. On the whole, it is clear that Sun Tzǔ does not approve of a lengthy march being undertaken without supplies. Cf. infra. (“We may take it then that an army⁠ ⁠…”) ↩

卷甲 does not mean “to discard one’s armour,” as Capt. Calthrop translates, but implies on the contrary that it is to be carried with you. Chang Yü says: 猶悉甲也 “This means, in full panoply.” ↩

The ordinary day’s march, according to Tu Mu, was 30 li; but on one occasion, when pursuing 劉備 Liu Pei, Tsʽao Tsʽao is said to have covered the incredible distance of 300 li within twenty-four hours. ↩

For 罷, see note 212 on II. The moral is, as Tsʽao Kung and others point out: Don’t march a hundred li to gain a tactical advantage, either with or without impedimenta. Manoeuvres of this description should be confined to short distances. Stonewall Jackson said: “The hardships of forced marches are often more painful than the dangers of battle.” He did not often call upon his troops for extraordinary exertions. It was only when he intended a surprise, or when a rapid retreat was imperative, that he sacrificed everything to speed.777 ↩

蹶 is explained as similar in meaning to 挫: literally, “the leader of the first division will be torn away.” Cf. Tso Chuan, 襄 19th year: 是謂蹶其本 “This is a case of [the falling tree] tearing up its roots.” ↩

In the Tʽung Tien is added: 以是知軍爭之難 “From this we may know the difficulty of manoeuvring.” ↩

委積 is explained by Tu Yu as 芻草之屬 “fodder and the like;” by Tu Mu and Chang Yü as 財貨 “goods in general;” and by Wang Hsi as 薪鹽蔬材之屬 “fuel, salt, foodstuffs, etc.” But I think what Sun Tzǔ meant was “stores accumulated in dépôts,” as distinguished from 輜重 and 糧食, the various impedimenta accompanying an army on its march. Cf. Chou Li, ch. XVI fol. 10: 委人⁠ ⁠… 斂薪芻凡疏材木材凡畜聚之物. ↩

豫 = 先. Li Chʽüan understands it as 備 “guard against,” which is hardly so good. An original interpretation of 交 is given by Tu Mu, who says it stands for 交兵 or 合戰 “join in battle.” ↩

險, defined as 坑塹 (Tsʽao Kung) or 坑坎 (Chang Yü). ↩

阻, defined as 一高一下. ↩

沮, defined as 水草漸洳者. ↩

澤, defined as 衆水所歸而不流者. ↩

This and the previous two paragraphs are repeated in chap. XI. (“We cannot enter into alliance⁠ ⁠…”) ↩

According to Tu Mu, 立 stands for 立勝. Cf. chapter I, “All warfare is based on deception.” In the tactics of Turenne, deception of the enemy, especially as to the numerical strength of his troops, took a very a prominent position.778 ↩

This is the interpretation of all the commentators except Wang Hsi, who has the brief note 誘之也 “Entice out the enemy” (by offering him some apparent advantage). ↩

The simile is doubly appropriate, because the wind is not only swift but, as Mei Yao-chʽên points out, 無形跡 “invisible and leaves no tracks.” ↩

It is hardly possible to take 徐 here in its ordinary sense of “sedate,” as Tu Yu tries to do. Mêng Shih comes nearer the mark in his note 緩行須有行列 “When slowly marching, order and ranks must be preserved”⁠—so as to guard against surprise attacks. But natural forests do not grow in rows, whereas they do generally possess the quality of density or compactness. I think then that Mei Yao-chʽên uses the right adjective in saying 如林之森然. ↩

Cf. Shih Ching, IV 3 IV 6: 如火烈烈則莫我敢曷 “Fierce as a blazing fire which no man can check.” ↩

That is, when holding a position from which the enemy is trying to dislodge you, or perhaps, as Tu Yu says, when he is trying to entice you into a trap. ↩

The original text has 震 instead of 霆. Cf. chapter IV, “The general who is skilled⁠ ⁠…” Tu Yu quotes a saying of Tʽai Kung which has passed into a proverb: 疾雷不及掩耳疾電不及暝目 “You cannot shut your ears to the thunder or your eyes to the lightning⁠—so