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The Art of War - 孙子兵法 - Chapter 7

Manhattan Mandarin

Updated: Feb 4

Chapter 7: 军争篇 (Jūn Zhēng Piān) - Armed Struggle


孙子曰:凡用兵之法,将受命于君,合军聚众。Sūn Zǐ yuē: Fán yòng bīng zhī fǎ, jiàng shòu mìng yú jūn, hé jūn jù zhòng.

Sun Tzu said: In the principles of waging war, the general receives orders from the ruler, assembles the army, and gathers the masses.


无约而请火者,曰躁军。Wú yuē ér qǐng huǒ zhě, yuē zào jūn.

An army that moves without proper coordination is called a reckless army.


凡战者,以正合,以奇胜。Fán zhàn zhě, yǐ zhèng hé, yǐ qí shèng.

All warfare is based on the combination of the orthodox and the unorthodox.


故善出奇者,无穷如天地,不竭如江河。Gù shàn chū qí zhě, wú qióng rú tiān dì, bù jié rú jiāng hé.

Those who excel in creating surprise tactics are as boundless as the heavens and earth and as inexhaustible as rivers and streams.


激水之疾,至于漂石者,势也。Jī shuǐ zhī jí, zhì yú piāo shí zhě, shì yě.

The swift current of water can move boulders because of its momentum.


鸷鸟之疾,至于毁折者,节也。Zhì niǎo zhī jí, zhì yú huǐ zhé zhě, jié yě.

The ferocity of a falcon striking its prey can break its bones due to precise timing.


是故善战者,其势险,其节短。Shì gù shàn zhàn zhě, qí shì xiǎn, qí jié duǎn.

Thus, those skilled in battle make their momentum dangerous and their timing short.


Vocabulary List for Chapter 7

Chinese

Pinyin

English Meaning

军争

jūn zhēng

armed struggle, military conflict

用兵

yòng bīng

waging war, using troops

jiàng

general

受命

shòu mìng

receive orders

合军

hé jūn

assemble the army

聚众

jù zhòng

gather the masses

无约

wú yuē

without coordination

燥军

zào jūn

reckless army

zhèng

orthodox

unorthodox, surprise

shèng

victory

无穷

wú qióng

boundless

不竭

bù jié

inexhaustible

激水

jī shuǐ

swift current

shì

momentum

鸷鸟

zhì niǎo

fierce bird (e.g., falcon)

jié

timing, rhythm

xiǎn

dangerous

duǎn

short


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