Sunzi · Complete work
Chapter 8 — Nine Variations
Chapter 8 — Nine Variations of 13. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
孫子曰：凡用兵之法，將受命於君，合軍聚眾。圮地無舍，衢地合交，絕地無留，圍地則謀，死地則戰。途有所不由，軍有所不擊，城有所不攻，地有所不爭，君命有所不受。故將通於九變之利者，知用兵矣；將不通於九變之利，雖知地形，不能得地之利矣；治兵不知九變之術，雖知地利，不能得人之用矣。
是故智者之慮，必雜於利害，雜於利而務可信也，雜於害而患可解也。是故屈諸侯者以害，役諸侯者以業，趨諸侯者以利。
故用兵之法，無恃其不來，恃吾有以待之；無恃其不攻，恃吾有所不可攻也。
故將有五危︰必死，可殺也﹔必生，可虜也﹔忿速，可侮也﹔廉潔，可辱也﹔愛民，可煩也。凡此五者，將之過也，用兵之災也。覆軍殺將，必以五危，不可不察也。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the standard 13-chapter Classical Chinese source for fidelity, strategic precision, clarity, structure, and cadence.
Sunzi said: In general, the method of employing troops is this: the commander receives his charge from the ruler, assembles the army, and gathers the multitude. Do not encamp on broken ground. On intersecting ground, join alliances. Do not linger on isolated ground. On encircled ground, make plans. On death ground, fight. There are roads that must not be followed, armies that must not be attacked, cities that must not be assaulted, ground that must not be contested, and commands from the ruler that must not be obeyed. Therefore, a commander who understands the advantages of the nine adaptations knows how to employ troops. A commander who does not understand the advantages of the nine adaptations, though he knows the configuration of the ground, cannot gain its advantages. One who commands an army without knowing the art of the nine adaptations, though he knows the advantages of the ground, cannot obtain the full use of his men.
Therefore, the wise man’s deliberations always mingle advantage and harm. By mingling advantage with harm, his undertakings can be trusted to succeed; by mingling harm with advantage, his troubles can be resolved. Thus, subdue the feudal lords with harm, keep the feudal lords occupied with burdens, and make the feudal lords hasten with profit.
Therefore, the method of employing troops is not to rely on the enemy’s failure to come, but on our readiness to receive him; not to rely on his failure to attack, but on our possession of a position that cannot be attacked.
Thus, a commander has five dangers: if determined to die, he can be killed; if determined to live, he can be captured; if quick to anger, he can be provoked; if scrupulous about honor, he can be humiliated; if he loves the people, he can be troubled. These five are faults in a commander and calamities in employing troops. The destruction of an army and the death of its commander inevitably arise from these five dangers. They must be examined.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 13 chapters and 74 source paragraphs.
Sunzi said: As a general rule for employing an army, the commander receives his orders from the ruler, assembles the army, and gathers the troops. Do not camp on difficult ground. Join alliances on crossroads ground. Do not linger on isolated ground. Make plans on encircled ground. Fight on death ground. There are roads that must not be taken, armies that must not be attacked, cities that must not be assaulted, ground that must not be contested, and commands from the ruler that must not be obeyed. Therefore, a commander who understands the advantages of the nine variations knows how to employ an army. A commander who does not understand the advantages of the nine variations may know the terrain but cannot obtain its advantages. One who directs an army without knowing the methods of the nine variations may know the advantages of the ground but cannot make full use of his men.
Therefore, the wise person’s deliberations always combine advantage and harm. By considering harm within advantage, his undertaking can be trusted to succeed; by considering advantage within harm, his troubles can be resolved. Therefore, subdue the other lords by threatening harm, keep them occupied with burdensome affairs, and make them hurry after profit.
Therefore, the method of employing an army is not to rely on the enemy’s not coming, but to rely on having the means to await him; not to rely on his not attacking, but to rely on having a position he cannot attack.
Therefore, a commander faces five dangers: if determined to die, he can be killed; if determined to survive, he can be captured; if quick-tempered, he can be provoked; if scrupulously honorable, he can be humiliated; if he loves the people, he can be harassed. These five are faults in a commander and disasters in employing an army. The destruction of an army and the death of its commander will certainly result from these five dangers, so they must be carefully examined.