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The Art of War - 孙子兵法 - Chapter 8

Manhattan Mandarin

Chapter 8: 九变篇 (Jiǔ Biàn Piān) - The Nine Variations


孙子曰:凡用兵之法,将有九变。Sūn Zǐ yuē: Fán yòng bīng zhī fǎ, jiàng yǒu jiǔ biàn.

Sun Tzu said: In the art of war, the general must be adept at nine variations.


不得已而用之,称兵而动。Bù dé yǐ ér yòng zhī, chēng bīng ér dòng.

Only when necessary should one engage in action, moving troops carefully.


途有所不由,军有所不击,城有所不攻,地有所不争。Tú yǒu suǒ bù yóu, jūn yǒu suǒ bù jī, chéng yǒu suǒ bù gōng, dì yǒu suǒ bù zhēng.

There are roads not to be followed, armies not to be attacked, cities not to be besieged, and terrain not to be contested.


将之任,知兵之道者,必虑敌之情。Jiàng zhī rèn, zhī bīng zhī dào zhě, bì lǜ dí zhī qíng.

A general, knowing the art of war, must always consider the enemy’s situation.


无势则困,有势则利。Wú shì zé kùn, yǒu shì zé lì.

Without momentum, one is trapped; with momentum, one gains advantage.


故明将所以动而静者,敌不可测也。Gù míng jiàng suǒ yǐ dòng ér jìng zhě, dí bù kě cè yě.Thus, the wise general’s movements are unpredictable to the enemy.


Vocabulary List for Chapter 8

Chinese

Pinyin

English Meaning

九变

jiǔ biàn

nine variations

用兵

yòng bīng

waging war, using troops

jiàng

general

不得已

bù dé yǐ

no other choice, necessity

称兵

chēng bīng

move troops

dòng

act, move

road, path

不由

bù yóu

not to follow

不击

bù jī

not to attack

不攻

bù gōng

not to besiege

不争

bù zhēng

not to contend

rèn

responsibility, role

兵之道

bīng zhī dào

the way of war

必虑

bì lǜ

must consider

敌之情

dí zhī qíng

enemy’s situation

无势

wú shì

without momentum

有势

yǒu shì

with momentum

明将

míng jiàng

wise general

动而静

dòng ér jìng

act and remain calm

不可测

bù kě cè

unpredictable


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