胜战计 Winning Stratagems

1 瞒天过海 Deceive the heavens to cross the sea

2 围魏救赵 Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao

3 借刀杀人 Kill with a borrowed knife

4 以逸待劳 Wait at leisure for the exhausted enemy

5 趁火打劫 Loot a burning house

6 声东击西 Clamour in the east, attack in the west

敌战计 Enemy-Dealing Stratagems

7 无中生有 Create something from nothing

8 暗渡陈仓 Secretly march to Chencang

9 隔岸观火 Watch the fire from across the river

10 笑里藏刀 Hide a knife behind a smile

11 李代桃僵 Sacrifice the plum tree to save the peach

12 顺手牵羊 Lead away the goat in passing

攻战计 Attacking Stratagems

13 打草惊蛇 Beat the grass to startle the snake

14 借尸还魂 Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul

15 调虎离山 Lure the tiger down from the mountain

16 欲擒故纵 To catch, first let go

17 抛砖引玉 Toss out a brick to draw in jade

18 擒贼擒王 To catch bandits, first catch their leader

混战计 Chaos Stratagems

19 釜底抽薪 Take the firewood from under the pot

20 混水摸鱼 Fish in troubled waters

21 金蝉脱壳 The golden cicada sheds its shell

22 关门捉贼 Shut the door to catch the thief

23 远交近攻 Befriend a distant state, attack a neighbour

24 假道伐虢 Borrow safe passage to conquer Guo

并战计 Proximate Stratagems

25 偷梁换柱 Steal the beams, swap the pillars

26 指桑骂槐 Point at the mulberry, curse the locust tree

27 假痴不癫 Feign madness but keep your balance

28 上屋抽梯 Lure onto the roof, then remove the ladder

29 树上开花 Deck the tree with false blossoms

30 反客为主 Turn the guest into the host

败战计 Desperate Stratagems

31 美人计 The beauty trap

32 空城计 The empty fort strategy

33 反间计 The counter-espionage / double-agent strategy

34 苦肉计 The self-injury stratagem

35 连环计 The chain-of-stratagems

36 走为上 If all else fails, retreat

The Art of War — thirteen chapters

recatools.com/art-of-war/chapters/

01 始计 Laying Plans

兵者，国之大事，死生之地，存亡之道，不可不察也。

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

02 作战 Waging War

兵贵胜，不贵久。

In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

03 谋攻 Attack by Stratagem

不战而屈人之兵，善之善者也。

To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

04 军形 Tactical Dispositions

昔之善战者，先为不可胜，以待敌之可胜。

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

05 兵势 Energy

凡战者，以正合，以奇胜。

In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.

06 虚实 Weak Points and Strong

善战者，致人而不致于人。

The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.

07 军争 Maneuvering

以迂为直，以患为利。

The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

08 九变 Variation in Tactics

智者之虑，必杂于利害。

In the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.

09 行军 The Army on the March

辞卑而益备者，进也。

Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance.

10 地形 Terrain

知彼知己，胜乃不殆；知天知地，胜乃不穷。

If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.

11 九地 The Nine Situations

投之亡地然后存，陷之死地然后生。

Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.

12 火攻 The Attack by Fire

合于利而动，不合于利而止。

Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained.

13 用间 The Use of Spies

成功出于众者，先知也。

What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.