F REIGN TRADE - 中国国际贸易促进委员会

Culturesān shí liù jì三十六计Thirty-Six Stratagems (I)The Thirty-Six Stratagems( 三 十 六 计 sān shí liù jì) is a Chineseessay used to illustrate a series of stratagemsused in politics, war, as well as incivil interaction, often through unorthodoxor deceptive means. No one reallyknows who the author was; instead, theprevailing view is that the Thirty-SixStratagems may have originated in bothwritten and oral history, with many differentversions compiled by differentauthors throughout Chinese history.The Thirty-Six Stratagems hassix chapters containing six stratagemseach. The first three chapters generallydescribe tactics for use in advantageoussituations, whereas the last three chapterscontain stratagems that are moresuitable for disadvantageous situations.They are in the form of four-characteridioms. Each proverb is accompaniedby a short comment, no longer than asentence or two, that explains how saidproverb is applicable to military tactics.These 36 Chinese proverbs are relatedto 36 battle scenarios in Chinese historyand folklore, predominantly of theWarring States Period and the ThreeKingdoms Period.The Culture column of this issuewill share with you the first three chaptersof the essay, (to encourage you towin), and then the rest three chapters inJuly issue, (in case you stand in disadvantageoussituation in a battle).Chapter Ⅰ 胜 战 计 shèng zhàn jìWinning Stratagems瞒 天 过 海 mán tiān guò hǎiDeceive the heavens to cross theoceanComment: 备 周 而 意 怠 , 常 见 则不 疑 , 阴 在 阳 之 内 , 不 在 阳 之 对 。 太 阳 ,太 阴 。bèi zhōu ér yì dài, cháng jiàn zé bùyí, yīn zài yáng zhī nèi, bú zài yáng zhīduì. tài yáng, tài yīn.Prepare too much and you losesight of the big picture; what you seeoften you do not doubt. Yin (the art ofdeception) is in Yang (acting in open).Too much Yang (transparency) hidesYin (true ruses).围 魏 救 赵 wéi wèi jiù zhàoBesiege the state of Wèi to rescuethe state of ZhàoComment: When the enemy istoo strong to be attacked directly, thenattack something he holds dear. Knowthat he cannot be superior in all things.Somewhere there is a gap in the armour,a weakness that can be attackedinstead.借 刀 杀 人 jiè dāo shā rénKill with a borrowed knifeComment: Attack using thestrength of another (in a situation whereusing one's own strength is not favourable).Trick an ally into attacking him,bribe an official to turn traitor, or usethe enemy's own strength against him.Stratagem以 逸 待 劳 yǐ yì dài láoLeisurely await for the labouredComment: It is an advantage tochoose the time and place for battle. Inthis way you know when and where thebattle will take place, while your enemydoes not. Encourage your enemy toexpend his energy in futile quests whileyou conserve your strength. When heis exhausted and confused, you attackwith energy and purpose.趁 火 打 劫 chèn huǒ dǎ jiéLoot a burning houseComment: When a country isbeset by internal conflicts, when diseaseand famine ravage the population, whencorruption and crime are rampant, thenit will be unable to deal with an outsidethreat. This is the time to attack.声 东 击 西 shēng dōng jī xīMake a sound in the east, then strikein the westComment: In any battle the elementof surprise can provide an overwhelmingadvantage. Even when faceto face with an enemy, surprise can stillbe employed by attacking where heleast expects it. To do this you must createan expectation in the enemy's mindthrough the use of a feint.94