Weaknesses and Strengths

The Weak and the Strong

Sunzi said: Generally, he who arrives first at the battlefield to await the enemy is at ease; he who arrives later and rushes into battle is fatigued. Therefore, one skilled in warfare can move the enemy without being moved by the enemy.

To make the enemy come of his own accord, lure him with profit; to prevent the enemy from coming, deter him with harm. Thus, when the enemy is at ease, tire him; when he is well-fed, starve him; when he is settled, stir him. Advance where he cannot rush to aid; move where he least expects.

March a thousand li without fatigue by traveling through territory where there is no enemy. Attack with certainty of victory by striking where the enemy has no defense; defend with certainty of stability by guarding where the enemy dares not attack. Therefore, one skilled in attack leaves the enemy unsure where to defend; one skilled in defense leaves the enemy unsure where to attack. Subtle, subtle! To the point of formlessness; mysterious, mysterious! To the point of silence—thus one can become the master of the enemy’s fate.

When attacking, the enemy cannot resist because you strike his weak points; when retreating, the enemy cannot pursue because your speed outruns him. Thus, if I wish to engage, even with high ramparts and deep moats, the enemy cannot avoid battle because I attack a place he must rescue; if I do not wish to engage, even by merely drawing a line on the ground to defend, the enemy cannot fight me because I divert his course.

Therefore, reveal form to the enemy while remaining formless yourself, so your forces are concentrated and his are divided. Concentrate your forces in one place, let his be divided in ten—this means using ten times your strength to attack one part of his, making you numerous and him few. If you can use the many to attack the few, those directly engaged with you will be limited. The place where we will fight is unknown to the enemy; if unknown, he must prepare many positions. If he prepares many positions, the troops directly engaging us will be few. Thus, if he prepares the front, the rear is weak; if he prepares the rear, the front is weak; if he prepares the left, the right is weak; if he prepares the right, the left is weak; if he prepares everywhere, everywhere is weak. The few are those who must prepare against others; the many are those who make others prepare against them.

Thus, if you can know the place and time of battle, you can march a thousand li and still join battle. If you do not know the place or time, the left cannot save the right, the right cannot save the left, the front cannot save the rear, the rear cannot save the front—how much more so when distances are tens of li, or even a few li apart! Based on my analysis, though the army of Yue is numerous, what help is that for victory or defeat? Therefore, it is said: Victory can be created. Even if the enemy is numerous, you can prevent him from engaging.

Thus, analyze the enemy’s plans to know his gains and losses; stir him to know his patterns of movement; expose his form to know his advantageous and disadvantageous terrain; probe him to know his strengths and weaknesses. So the highest skill in deploying force reaches formlessness. When formless, even deep spies cannot spy on you, nor can wise enemies scheme against you. Adapt to the enemy’s changes to win, placing victory before the people, yet they do not understand. People know the methods by which I win, but they do not know how I apply those methods to win. Thus, each victory is not a repetition of the same method, but adapts to the enemy’s infinite changes.

The pattern of military operations is like water: water’s pattern is to avoid heights and flow to low places; the pattern of military operations is to avoid strength and strike weakness. Water shapes its course according to the terrain; military operations shape their victory according to the enemy. Thus, operations have no fixed method, just as water has no fixed form—one who can adapt to the enemy and win may be called divine. Thus, the five elements do not constantly prevail; the four seasons do not perpetually hold; the days have length and shortness; the moon waxes and wanes.