Chapter 13: 用间篇 (Yòng Jiān Piān) - The Use of Spies
孙子曰:凡兴师十万,出征千里,百姓之费,公家之奉,日费千金。Sūn Zǐ yuē: Fán xīng shī shí wàn, chū zhēng qiān lǐ, bǎi xìng zhī fèi, gōng jiā zhī fèng, rì fèi qiān jīn.
Sun Tzu said: When deploying an army of 100,000 to march 1,000 miles, the expenses of the people and the state will amount to a thousand pieces of gold daily.
故三军之事,莫亲于间,赏莫厚于间,事莫密于间。Gù sān jūn zhī shì, mò qīn yú jiān, shǎng mò hòu yú jiān, shì mò mì yú jiān.
Thus, no activity is closer to the heart of the commander than the use of spies, no rewards are more generous than those for spies, and no operations are more secretive.
非圣智不能用间,非仁义不能使间,非微妙不能得间之实。Fēi shèng zhì bù néng yòng jiān, fēi rén yì bù néng shǐ jiān, fēi wēi miào bù néng dé jiān zhī shí.
Only those with great wisdom and virtue can use spies effectively, and only those with subtlety can gain accurate information from them.
间有五:有因间,有内间,有反间,有死间,有生间。Jiān yǒu wǔ: yǒu yīn jiān, yǒu nèi jiān, yǒu fǎn jiān, yǒu sǐ jiān, yǒu shēng jiān.
There are five types of spies: local spies, inside spies, converted spies, expendable spies, and surviving spies.
五间俱起,莫知其道,是谓神纪之军。Wǔ jiān jù qǐ, mò zhī qí dào, shì wèi shén jì zhī jūn.
When all five types of spies are active, no one can detect their strategy. This is called divine organization in warfare.
Vocabulary List for Chapter 13
Chinese | Pinyin | English Meaning |
用间 | yòng jiān | the use of spies |
兴师 | xīng shī | deploying an army |
十万 | shí wàn | one hundred thousand |
出征 | chū zhēng | march to battle |
千里 | qiān lǐ | a thousand miles |
百姓 | bǎi xìng | the people |
费 | fèi | expenses |
三军 | sān jūn | the three armies |
赏 | shǎng | rewards |
间 | jiān | spies |
圣智 | shèng zhì | great wisdom |
仁义 | rén yì | virtue, benevolence |
微妙 | wēi miào | subtlety |
因间 | yīn jiān | local spies |
内间 | nèi jiān | inside spies |
反间 | fǎn jiān | converted spies |
死间 | sǐ jiān | expendable spies |
生间 | shēng jiān | surviving spies |
神纪 | shén jì | divine organization |
军 | jūn | army |
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