Jiubian — the nine changes九變篇

已解上文。

The passage above has already explained this.

無所依也。水毁曰圮。

There is nothing to lean on. A place broken down by water is called pi (圮).

地下曰圮，行必水淹也。

Low ground is called pi, and one who passes through it is sure to be sunk in water.

圮，低下也。孔明謂之地獄。獄者，中下，四面高也。

Pi means low, sunken ground. Kongming (孔明) called it a ground prison (地獄). A prison is a place low in the middle and high on all four sides.

太下則爲敵所囚。

If it lies too low, one will be shut in by the enemy.

擇地頓兵，當趨利而避害也。

In choosing ground on which to halt the troops, one ought to go toward the profit and keep away from the harm.

山林、險阻、沮澤之地，不可舍止，無所依也。

On mountains and forests, steep and blocked places, and marshland one cannot camp, because there is nothing to lean on.

下篇言「圮地則吾將進其塗」，謂少固之地，宜速去之也。

A later chapter says, "On broken ground I hurry on along the road." This means that ground with little firmness is to be left quickly.

山林、險阻、沮澤，凡難行之道，爲圮地。以其無所依，故不可舍止。

Mountains and forests, steep and blocked places, marshland — any road hard to travel is broken ground (圮地). Having nothing to lean on, one cannot camp there.

結諸侯也。

It is to bind ties with the lords.

四通曰衢，結諸侯之交地也。

A place open on all four sides is called qu (衢), the ground on which one binds ties with the lords.

結諸侯以爲援。

One binds with the lords and makes them an aid.

夫四通之地，與旁國相通，當結其交也。

Ground open on all four sides communicates with the neighboring states, so one ought to bind ties with them.

下篇云「衢地吾將固其結」，言交結諸侯，使牢固也。

A later chapter says, "On crossroads ground I make my bonds firm." This means to bind ties with the lords and make them solid.

四通之地，旁有鄰國，先往結之，以爲交援。

Ground open on all four sides has neighboring states beside it, so one goes first to bind with them and make them friends and aids.

無久止也。

It is not to halt there long.

地無泉井、畜牧、采樵之處，爲絶地，不可留也。

Ground with no springs or wells and no place to pasture beasts or gather firewood is cut-off ground (絶地), and one cannot stay there.

谿谷坎險，前無通路，曰絶，當速去無留。

Where valleys and hollows are steep and no road goes through ahead is called cut off, and one ought to leave quickly and not linger.

始去國，始出境，猶不居輕地，是不可久留也。

Even on light ground, just out of one's own state and just past the border, one still does not stay; here one cannot linger long.

去國越境而師者，絶地也。危絶之地，過於重地，故不可淹留久止也。

To leave one's state, cross the border and move troops is cut-off ground. Perilous, severed ground is worse than heavy ground, and so one cannot linger and lodge there long.

發奇謀也。

It is to bring out an unlooked-for plan.

因地能通。

One makes a way through according to the ground.

居四險之中，曰圍地，敵可往來，我難出入。居此地者，可預設奇謀，使敵不爲我患，乃可濟也。

A place in the middle of four steep sides is encircled ground (圍地): the enemy can come and go, but we find it hard to get in and out. One on such ground must make ready an unlooked-for plan beforehand, so that the enemy does not become our trouble; only then can he cross it.

往返險迂，當出奇謀。

The roads in and out are steep and winding, so one ought to bring out an unlooked-for plan.

下篇亦云「圍地則謀」。言在艱險之地，與敵相持，須用奇險詭譎之謀，不至於害也。

A later chapter also says, "On encircled ground use a plan." It means that in facing the enemy on hard and steep ground one must use plans that are strange, perilous and deceiving, and only then will one not be harmed.

居前隘後固之地，當發奇謀，若漢高爲匈奴所圍，用陳平奇計得出，茲近之。

On ground narrow in front and blocked behind one ought to bring out an unlooked-for plan. When Gaozu (高祖) of Han was encircled by the Xiongnu (匈奴) and got free by the strange plan of Chen Ping (陳平), that comes near to this.

殊死戰也。

It is to fight to the death.

置兵於必死之地，人自爲私鬬，韓信破趙，此是也。

Put the troops where they must die, and every man fights as for his own affair. This is how Han Xin (韓信) broke the state of Zhao (趙).

前後有礙，決在死戰。此而上舉九地之大約也。

Front and rear are blocked, so the matter is settled by fighting to the death. Thus far he has given the main outline of the nine kinds of ground.

王晳《註》上之五地並同曹公。

Wang Xi's (王晳) notes on the five kinds of ground above are all the same as Cao Cao's (曹操).

下篇亦云「死地則戰」者，此地速爲死戰則生；若緩而不戰，氣衰糧絶，不死何待也！

A later chapter also says, "On death ground, fight." On this ground, fight quickly to the death and you live; delay and do not fight, and your spirit withers and your provisions are cut off — then what is there to wait for but death?

走無所往，當殊死戰，淮陰背水陳是也。從「圮地無舍」至此爲九變，止陳五事者，舉其大略也。《九地篇》中說九地之變，唯言六事，亦陳其大略也。凡地有勢有變，《九地篇》上所陳者，是其勢也，下所敘者，是其變也。何以知九變爲九地之變？下文云︰「將不通九變，雖知地形，不能得地利。」又，《九地篇》云︰「九地之變，屈伸之利，不可不察。」以此觀之，義可見也。下旣說「九地」，此復言「九變」者，孫子欲敘五利，故先陳九變，蓋九變、五利相須而用，故兼言之。

There is nowhere to flee to, so one ought to fight to the death; the Marquis of Huaiyin (淮陰侯) drawing up his ranks with his back to the water is this. From "on broken ground do not camp" down to here are the nine changes, and only five matters are set out because he gave the main outline. In the chapter on the Nine Grounds (九地), where he speaks of the changes of the nine kinds of ground, he names only six matters, and this too is setting out the main outline. Ground has its shape and it has its changes: what is set out earlier in the chapter on the Nine Grounds is its shape, and what is described later is its changes. How do we know that the nine changes are the changes of the nine kinds of ground? The text below says, "A general not versed in the nine changes may know the lie of the ground, yet he will not gain its advantage," and the chapter on the Nine Grounds says, "The changes of the nine kinds of ground and the advantage of bending and stretching cannot go unexamined." Seen by this, his meaning can be known. That the Nine Grounds are spoken of later and the Nine Changes again here is because Sunzi meant to describe the five advantages and first set out the nine changes. The nine changes and the five advantages lean on each other in use, and so he spoke of them together.

隘難之地，所不當從；不得已從之，故爲變。

Narrow and steep ground is not a place one ought to go in by. If one must go in by it against one's will, that is the change.

道有險狹，懼其邀伏，不可由也。

If the road has steep and narrow places, one should fear an ambush blocking the way and not pass through.

後漢光武遣將軍馬援、耿舒討武陵五谿蠻，軍次下雋，今辰州也，有兩道可入︰從壺頭則路近而水險，從充道則路夷而運遠。帝初以爲疑，及軍至，耿舒欲從充道，援以爲棄日費糧，不如進壺頭，搤其咽喉，則賊自破。以事上之帝，從援策，乃進營壺頭。賊乘高守隘，水疾，船不得上。會暑濕，士卒多疫死，援亦中病卒。耿舒與兄好畤侯書曰︰「舒前上言，當先擊充，糧雖難運，而兵馬得用。軍人數萬，爭欲先奮。今壺頭竟不得進，大衆怫鬱行死，誠可痛惜！」

Emperor Guangwu (光武帝) of the Later Han sent the generals Ma Yuan (馬援) and Geng Shu (耿舒) to strike the Wuxi (五谿) tribes of Wuling (武陵). The army halted at Xiajun (下雋) — the present Chenzhou (辰州) — and there were two roads in. By Hutou (壺頭) the road was near but the water steep; by Chongdao (充道) the road was level but the hauling long. The emperor wavered at first. When the army arrived, Geng Shu wished to go by Chongdao, but Ma Yuan held that rather than throw away days and eat up provisions one should push on to Hutou and press its throat, and the enemy would break of itself. This was sent up to the emperor, who followed Ma Yuan's plan, and so the camp was moved to Hutou. The enemy held the heights and guarded the narrows, and the current was so fast that the boats could not go up. It happened to be hot and damp, and many of the troops died of plague; Ma Yuan too fell ill and died. Geng Shu sent a letter to his elder brother, the Marquis of Haozhi (好畤侯): "I reported earlier that we ought to strike Chong first. Hauling provisions would have been hard, but the men and horses could have been used. Tens of thousands of troops were vying to be the first to press forward; now at Hutou we cannot get on at all, and the great host sickens and dies in misery. It is truly grievous."

由，從也。途且不利，雖近不從。

You (由) means to go by. If a road is not of advantage, one does not go by it even though it is near.

阨難之地，所不當從也；不得已從之，故爲變也。道雖近而中不利，則不從也。

Narrow and hard ground is a place one ought not to go by. One goes by it only when there is no choice, and this is why it is called a change. Though the road be near, if the middle of it is not of advantage one does not go by it.

避其險阨也。

It is to keep away from its steep and narrow places.

途雖可從而有所不從，慮奇伏也。若趙涉說周亞夫，避殽黽阸陿之間，慮置伏兵，請走藍田，出武關，抵洛陽，間不過差一二日是也。

Though a road may be taken, there are roads not to be taken, out of concern for an unlooked-for ambush. Zhao She (趙涉) told Zhou Yafu (周亞夫) to keep away from the narrows between Mount Xiao (殽山) and Mianchi (黽池); fearing an ambush set there, he asked him to ride for Lantian (藍田), come out by Wu Pass (武關) and so reach Luoyang, and the difference between the two was only a day or two. This is it.

險阨之地，車不得方軌，騎不得成列，故不可由也；不得已而行之，必爲權變。韓信知陳餘不用李左車計，乃敢入井陘口是也。

On steep and narrow ground carts cannot go abreast and horsemen cannot form a line, so one cannot pass through. When one must pass through, one must meet the moment as it comes. Han Xin dared to enter the mouth of Jingxing (井陘) only after he knew that Chen Yu (陳餘) had not used Li Zuoche's (李左車) plan. This is it.

軍雖可擊，以地險難久，留之失前利，若得之，則利薄。困窮之兵，必死戰也。

Though the army could be struck, if the ground is steep and it would take long, then while one lingers there one loses the profit ahead, and even if one wins, what is won is thin. Troops driven into a corner will surely fight to the death.

蓋以銳卒勿攻，歸師勿遏，窮宼勿迫，死地不可攻。或我彊敵弱，敵前軍先至，亦不可擊，恐驚之退走也。言有如此之軍，皆不可擊。斯統言爲將須知有此不可擊之軍，卽須不擊，益爲知變也。故列於《九變》篇中。

Do not strike keen troops; do not block troops going home; do not press an enemy driven into a corner; and an enemy on death ground cannot be struck. Again, when we are strong and the enemy weak but his van has come up first, this too is not to be struck, for fear he take fright, draw back and flee. It means that troops such as these can none of them be struck. This says, all together, that one who is a general must know that there are troops like these not to be struck and then not strike them; and this is all the more to know the changes. So it is set out in the chapter on the Nine Changes.

見小利不能傾敵，則勿擊之，恐重勞人也。

If only a small profit shows and the enemy cannot be overturned, one should not strike, for fear of wearing the men out again.

軍可威懷，勢將降伏，則不擊。宼窮據險，擊則死戰，可自固守，待其心惰，取之。

If the enemy's troops can be gathered in by one's authority and the shape of things is that they will surrender, one does not strike them. If the enemy is in straits and holds a steep place, striking makes him fight to the death; so one holds firm oneself and waits for his heart to slacken, then takes him.

軍雖可擊，以地險難久，留之失前利，若得之，利薄也。窮困之卒，隘陷之軍，不可攻，爲死戰也；當固守之，以待隙也。

Though the army could be struck, if the ground is steep so that it would be hard to drag on, and lingering loses the profit already before one, and even what is won is thin in profit, one does not strike. Troops in straits and hardship, and troops fallen into a narrow place, cannot be struck, because they fight to the death. One ought to hold firm and wait for a gap.

往無利也。

Because there is no profit in going.

曹公曰︰「軍雖可擊，以地險難久，留之失前利，若得之，則利薄。」晳謂餌兵、銳卒、正正之旗、堂堂之陳，亦是也。

Lord Cao said, "Though the army could be struck, if the ground is steep it would be hard to drag on; lingering loses the profit already before one, and even what is won is thin in profit." I think that bait troops and keen troops, orderly banners and an imposing array, are also this.

縱之而無所損，克之而無所利，則不須擊也。又若我弱彼彊，我曲彼直，亦不可擊。如晉楚相持，士會曰︰「楚人德刑、政事、典禮不易，不可敵也，不爲是征。」義相近也。

If leaving them be loses nothing and beating them gains nothing, there is nothing to strike. Again, when we are weak and they strong, we in the wrong and they in the right, they also cannot be struck. When Jin (晉) and Chu (楚) faced each other, Shi Hui (士會) said, "With the men of Chu, virtue and punishment, government, law and rite are not in disorder; they cannot be met. Such an opponent one does not strike." The meaning comes near to this.

城小而固，糧饒，不可攻也。操所以置華、費而深入徐州，得十四縣也。

If a walled town is small but firm and its provisions are ample, it is not to be attacked. This is why I left Hua (華) and Fei (費) aside and pushed deep into Xuzhou (徐州), taking fourteen counties.

操捨華、費不攻，故能兵力完全，深入徐州，得十四縣也。蓋言敵於要害之地，深峻城隍，多積糧食，欲留我師；若攻拔之，未足爲利，不拔，則挫我兵勢，故不可攻也。宋順帝時，荊州守沈攸之反，素蓄士馬，資用豐積，戰士十萬，甲馬二千。軍至郢城，功曹臧寅以爲︰攻守異勢，非旬日所拔；若不時舉，挫銳損威。今順流長驅，計日可捷；旣傾根本，則郢城豈能自固？故兵法曰「城有所不攻」是也。攸之不從。郢郡守柳世隆拒攸之，攸之盡銳攻之，不克，衆潰走，入林自縊。後周武帝欲出兵於河陽以伐齊，吏部字文㢸進曰︰「今用兵須擇地。河陽要衝，精兵所聚，盡力攻之，恐難得志。如臣所見，彼汾之曲，戍小山平，攻之易拔。用武之地，莫過於此。」帝不納，師竟無功。復大舉伐齊，卒用㢸計以滅齊。國家自元和三年至于今，三十年間，凡四攻宼。魏薄攻宼之南宮縣，上黨攻宼之臨城縣，太原攻宼之河星鎮。是宼三城池浚壁堅，蒭粟米石、金炭麻膏，凡城守之資，常爲不可勝之計以備。官軍擊虜，攻旣不拔，兵頓力疲。宼以勁兵來救，故百戰百敗。故三十年間，困天下之功力，攻數萬之宼，四圍其境，通計十歲，竟無尺寸之功者，蓋常墜宼計中，不能知變也。

Cao Cao left Hua and Fei aside and did not attack them, and so kept his army's strength whole, pushed deep into Xuzhou and took fourteen counties. When the enemy on key ground has made his walls and moats deep and high and heaped up much grain, meaning to hold our army fast, then to attack and take it is no profit, and not to take it breaks our army's spirit; so it means that it is not to be attacked. In the time of Emperor Shun of Song, Shen Youzhi (沈攸之), who guarded Jingzhou, rebelled; he had long raised men and horses and stored supplies amply, with a hundred thousand troops to fight and two thousand armored horses. When the army reached Yingcheng (郢城), the records officer Zang Yin (臧寅) said, "The attacker and the defender stand in different case; this is not a place that can be taken within ten days. If we do not take it in time, our keenness is blunted and our authority lessened. Now if we ride the current and run far, victory can be counted by days; and once the root is already down, how would Yingcheng hold firm of itself? So the art of war says, 'There are walled towns not to be attacked.' This is it." Shen Youzhi did not follow him. Liu Shilong (柳世隆), prefect of Ying, held Shen Youzhi off; Shen Youzhi spent all his keen troops in the attack and could not win, and when his host scattered and fled he went into the woods and hanged himself. Emperor Wu of the Later Zhou sent troops out by Heyang (河陽) to strike Qi (齊). Yuwen Bi of the board of personnel came forward and said, "Now if we are to use troops we must choose our ground. Heyang is a key passage, a place where nimble troops are gathered; though we spend all our strength in attacking it, I fear we shall not get our will. As I see it, the bend of the Fen River (汾水) has small garrisons and level hills, and attacked, it is easily taken. For ground on which to use troops there is nowhere better." The emperor would not take this, and the army came to nothing in the end. When he raised a great army again to strike Qi, he used Yuwen Bi's plan at last and destroyed Qi. From the third year of Yuanhe until now, in thirty years, the state has struck the rebels four times in all. Weibo (魏薄) struck the rebels' Nangong county (南宮縣); Shangdang (上黨) struck the rebels' Lincheng county (臨城縣); Taiyuan (太原) struck the rebels' Hexing garrison (河星鎭). These three walled towns of the rebels had deep pools and firm walls, and fodder, millet and rice, iron, charcoal, hemp and oil — all the supplies for holding a town — were always made ready and held in such store as could not be overcome. The royal troops struck the rebels but could not take the towns by attack, so the army came to a halt and its strength was worn out. The rebels came to the rescue with hardened troops, and so in a hundred fights there were a hundred defeats. Thus in thirty years the strength of all under heaven was spent striking tens of thousands of rebels, and their land was ringed four deep for ten years in all, yet in the end there was not a foot or an inch of achievement: it was because we fell always into the rebels' plans and did not know the changes.

臣忠義重禀命堅守者，亦不可攻也。

A town where the officer holds loyalty and right conduct weighty and guards it firmly under orders also cannot be attacked.

有所害也。

Because there is harm in it.

城非控要，雖可攻，然懼於鈍兵挫銳，或非堅實，而得士死力；又剋雖有期，而救兵至，吾雖得之，利不勝其所害也。

If a town does not hold a key neck of land, then even though it could be attacked one fears blunting the troops and breaking their keenness. Or the town may not be firm and solid, yet those who guard it spend their strength unto death; and though the day of victory could be counted, if relief troops arrive, then even if we take it the profit does not outweigh the harm.

拔之而不能守，委之而不爲患，則不須攻也。又若深溝高壘，卒不能下，亦不可攻。如士匄請伐偪陽，荀罃曰「城小而固，勝之不武，弗服爲笑」是也。

If a town cannot be held even when taken, and makes no trouble even when left alone, there is nothing to attack. Again, a town whose ditches are deep and ramparts high, which in the end cannot be brought down, also cannot be attacked. When Shi Gai (士匄) asked to attack Biyang (偪陽), Xun Ying (荀罃) said, "The town is small yet firm; to win is nothing to be proud of, and if we fail to subdue it we become a laughingstock." This is it.

小利之地，方爭得而失之，則不爭也。

Ground of little profit is lost as soon as it is fought for and won, so one does not fight for it.

言得之難守，失之無害。伍子胥諫夫差曰︰「今我伐齊，獲其地，猶石田也。」東晉陶侃鎮武昌，議者以武昌北岸有邾城，宜分兵鎮之。侃每不答，而言者不已。侃乃渡水獵，引諸將佐語之曰︰「我所以設險而禦宼，正以長江耳。邾城隔在江北，內無所倚，外接羣夷；夷中利深，晉人貪利，夷不堪命，必引宼虜，乃致禍之由，非禦宼也。且今縱有兵守之，亦無益於江南；若羯虜有可乘之會，此又非所資也。」後庾亮戍之，果大敗也。

It means that such ground is hard to hold even when won and does no harm even when lost. Wu Zixu (伍子胥) remonstrated with Fuchai (夫差): "Now though we strike Qi and win its land, it is like a field of stones." When Tao Kan (陶侃) of the Eastern Jin guarded Wuchang (武昌), those who deliberated said that Zhucheng (邾城) lay on the northern bank above Wuchang and troops ought to be divided to hold it. Tao Kan never answered, but the talk did not stop. So Tao Kan crossed the water to hunt, and leading his several generals and staff he said, "What I rely on in setting steep places against the enemy is just the long river. Zhucheng stands off on the north bank, with nothing to lean on within and the many barbarians touching it without. There is much profit in barbarian land, so the men of Jin covet it, and the barbarians cannot bear their orders and will surely draw the enemy in. This is a cause for calling down calamity, not for keeping the enemy off. And though we post troops to hold it now, it adds nothing to the lands south of the river; and should a gap open to be used against the Jie (羯族) barbarians, this would be no capital for it either." Later Yu Liang (庾亮) guarded the place, and he was indeed heavily beaten.

得之無益者。

It is a place that adds nothing even when won.

謂地雖要害，敵已據之，或得之無所用，若難守者。

It means ground that, though a key neck of land, the enemy already holds, or that has no use even when won, or that is hard to hold.

得之不便於戰，失之無害於己，則不須爭也。又若遼遠之地，雖得之，終非己有，亦不可爭，如吳子伐齊，伍員諫曰︰「得地於齊，猶獲石田也。不如早從事於越。」不聽，爲越所滅是也。

If winning it is of no advantage in the fighting and losing it does one no harm, there is nothing to fight over. Again, far-off ground never becomes one's own even when won, and so cannot be fought over either. When the Lord of Wu (吳子) struck Qi, Wu Yuan (伍員) remonstrated, "To win land from Qi is like winning a field of stones. Better to work early against Yue (越)." He was not heard, and was destroyed by Yue. This is it.

苟便於事，不拘於君命也。

If it suits the task, one is not bound by the ruler's command.

苟便於事，不拘君命。穰苴斬莊賈，魏絳戮楊干是也。

If it truly suits the task, one is not bound by the ruler's command. Rangju (穰苴) beheading Zhuang Jia (莊賈), and Wei Jiang (魏絳) punishing Yang Gan (楊干), are this.

《尉繚子》曰︰「兵者，凶器也；爭者，逆德也；將者，死官也。無天於上，無地於下，無敵於前，無主於後。」

The *Weiliaozi* says, "Troops are an ill-omened vessel, strife is a thing against virtue, and a general is an office charged with death. Above him there is no heaven, below him no earth, before him no enemy, behind him no ruler."

決必勝之機，不可推於君命；苟利社稷，專之可也。

Deciding the hinge on which certain victory turns cannot be put off upon the ruler's command. If it truly profits the altars of the state, one may act as one's own judgment directs.

無敵於前，無君於後，閫外之事，將軍制之。

Before him no enemy, behind him no ruler: what lies beyond the threshold the general governs.

從宜而行也。此而上，五利也。

He follows what is fitting and acts. Thus far are the five advantages.

苟便於事，不從君命。夫槩王曰「見義而行，不待命」是也。自「塗有所不由」至此，爲五利。或曰︰自「圮地無舍」至「地有所不爭」爲九變，謂此九事皆不從中覆，但臨時制宜，故統之以「君命有所不受」。

If it truly suits the task, one does not follow the ruler's command. King Fugai (夫槩王) said, "See what is right and act; do not wait for orders." This is it. From "there are roads not to be taken" down to here are the five advantages. Some take from "on broken ground do not camp" to "there is ground not to be fought over" as the nine changes: these nine matters are all handled without referring back to the court for orders, by weighing what is fitting at each moment, and so he bound them up with "there are commands of the ruler not to be obeyed."

謂上之九事也。

This refers to the nine matters spoken of above.

九事之變，皆臨時制宜，不由常道，故言變也。

The changes in the nine matters all fix what is fitting to the moment and do not follow the constant road; this is why they are called changes.

九變，上九事。將帥之任機權，遇勢則變，因利則制，不拘常道，然後得其通變之利。變之則九，數之則十，故君命不在常變例也。

The nine changes are the nine matters above. The general is charged with the signs and the weighing: he changes as the shape of things meets him, cuts his course to the profit, and is not bound by the constant road; only then does he gain the advantage of the changes. Counted as changes they are nine; counted one by one they are ten, for not obeying the ruler's command does not belong among the instances of the constant changes.

達九地之勢，變而爲利也。

It is to be versed in the shape of the nine kinds of ground and to turn them into advantage.

非賢智，不能盡事理之變也。

Without being worthy and wise one cannot fully know where the reason of things turns.

孫子以《九變》名篇，解者十有餘家，皆不條其九變之目者何也？蓋自「圮地無舍」而下，至「君命有所不受」，其數十矣，使人不得不惑。愚熟觀文意，上下止述其地之利害爾；且十事之中，「君命有所不受」且非地事，昭然不類矣。蓋孫子之意，言凡受命之將，合聚軍衆，如經此九地，有害而無利，則當變之，雖君命使之舍、留、攻、爭，亦不受也。況下文言「將不通於九變之利者，雖知地形，不能得地之利矣」，其君命豈得與地形而同算也？況下之《地形篇》云︰「戰道必勝，主曰無戰，必戰可也；戰道不勝，主曰必戰，無戰可也。」厥旨盡在此矣。

Sunzi made "the nine changes" the name of this chapter, yet of the ten and more men who have expounded it not one has divided out the items of those nine changes. Why? From "do not lodge on broken ground" to "there are commands of the ruler not to be obeyed" the number is ten, so a man cannot but be confused. Looking closely at the sense of the text, I find that above and below it speaks only of the profit and harm of ground; and of the ten, "there are commands of the ruler not to be obeyed" is not a matter of ground, so it is plainly of another grain. Sunzi's meaning is that when a general who has taken his orders gathers his army and passes these nine kinds of ground, if there is only harm and no profit he ought to change; though the ruler say lodge, stay, strike, or fight for it, he does not obey. Moreover the text below says, "A general not versed in the advantages of the nine changes may know the lie of the ground, yet he will not gain its advantage" — how could the ruler's command be counted together with the lie of the ground? Moreover the later chapter on the Shape of Ground (地形) says, "If the way of the fighting is sure victory, one may fight though the ruler say not to fight; if the way of the fighting is not victory, one may refrain though the ruler insist on fighting." Its meaning lies wholly here.

更變常道而得其利者，知用兵之道矣。

One who changes the constant road and gains its advantage knows the way of using troops.

雖知地形，心無通變，豈惟不得其利，亦恐反受害也。將貴適變也。

Though one know the lie of the ground, if there is no change in one's mind, not only will one fail to gain its advantage; there is reason to fear taking harm instead. A general holds it precious to meet the changes.

知地不知變，安得地之利？

Knowing the ground but not the changes, how would one gain the advantage of the ground?

凡地有形有變，知形而不曉變，豈能得地之利？

Ground has its lie and it has its changes; knowing the lie but not grasping the changes, how would one gain the advantage of the ground?

謂下五事也。

This refers to the five matters below.

「九變」一云「五變」。

One edition reads "the five changes" for "the nine changes."

五利、五變，亦在九變之中。遇勢能變則利，不變則害。在人，故無常體。能盡此理，乃得人之用也。五變謂︰途雖近，知有險阻、奇伏之變而不由；軍雖可擊，知有窮蹙、死鬬之變而不擊；城雖勢孤可攻，知有糧充、兵銳、將智、臣忠、不測之變而不攻；地雖可爭，知得之難守、得之無利、有反奪傷人之變而不爭；君命雖宜從之，知有內御不利之害而不受。此五變者，臨時制宜，不可預定。貪五利者︰途近則由，軍勢孤則擊，城勢危則攻，地可取則爭，軍可用則受命。貪此五利，不知其變，豈惟不得人用，抑亦敗軍傷士也。

The five advantages and the five changes are also within the nine changes. If one can change as the shape of things meets him, it is profit; if he cannot change, it is harm. It rests on the man and has no fixed form. One who can exhaust this reason gets the use of his men. The five changes are these: though the road be near, if he knows there are steep places and the mishap of a hidden ambush, he does not pass; though the enemy's army could be struck, if he knows there is the mishap of their being driven to a dead end and fighting to the death, he does not strike; though a town stand alone and could be attacked, if he knows its grain is ample, its troops keen, its general wise and its officers loyal, so that there is a mishap beyond reckoning, he does not attack; though ground could be fought over, if he knows it is hard to hold even when won, brings no profit when won, and carries the mishap of being taken back with the loss of his men, he does not fight for it; and though the ruler's command could be followed, if he knows it is being worked from within and carries unprofitable harm, he does not obey it. These five changes fix what is fitting to the moment and cannot be fixed beforehand. One who covets the five advantages passes when the road is near, strikes when the enemy stands alone, attacks when the town is in peril, fights when ground can be won, and obeys when troops can be used. Coveting these five advantages and not knowing their changes, he not only fails to get the use of his men; he breaks his army and loses his soldiers.

知利不知變，安得人而用？

Knowing the advantages but not the changes, how would one get his men and use them?

雖知五地之利，不通其變，如膠柱鼓瑟耳。

To know the five advantages of ground but not be versed in their changes is like playing the zither with the frets glued fast.

凡兵有利有變，知利而不識變，豈能得人之用？曹公言「下五事」爲五利者，謂「九變」之下五事也，非謂「雜於利害」已下五事也。

In war there are advantages and there are changes; knowing the advantages but not the changes, how would one get the use of his men? When Cao Cao called "the five matters below" the five advantages, he meant the five matters below in the nine changes, not the five matters below "he mixes profit and harm."

在利思害，在害思利，當難行權也。

In profit he thinks of harm, and in harm he thinks of profit; so when he meets difficulty he must weigh the two.

害彼利此之慮。

It is the reckoning that harms the other side and profits this one.

雜一爲親，一爲難。言利害相參雜，智者能慮之慎之，乃得其利也。

For "mixes" (雜) one text has "is close to" (親) and another has "finds hard" (難). It means that profit and harm are mixed in each other, and the wise man can reckon them and be careful, and so gains the profit.

梅堯臣同曹操《註》。

Mei Yaochen's (梅堯臣) note is the same as Cao Cao's.

將通九變，則利害盡矣。

A general versed in the nine changes knows profit and harm through and through.

智者慮事，雖處利地，必思所以害；雖處害地，必思所以利。此亦通變之謂也。

When the wise man reckons a matter, on profitable ground he always thinks of where the harm would be, and on harmful ground he always thinks of where the profit would be. This too means being versed in the changes.

計敵不能依五地爲我害，所務可信也。

He reckons that the enemy cannot lean on the five kinds of ground to harm him, and so the work he undertakes can be trusted.

信，申也。言我欲取利於敵人，不可但見取敵人之利，先須以敵人害我之事參雜而計量之，然後我所務之利，乃可申行也。

Xin (信) means to spread out. It means that if I would gain profit from the enemy, I must not look only at gaining profit from him but must first reckon in the ways he would harm me; only then can I spread out and carry through the profit I work for.

在利之時，則思害以自慎。一云︰以害雜利行之，威令以臨之，刑法以戮之，己不二三，則衆務皆信，人不敢欺也。

In a time of profit he thinks of harm and is careful of himself. It is also put this way: he mixes harm into profit in acting, comes with commands of authority and cuts with punishment, and if he himself is not scattered into two or three minds, then all his affairs become trustworthy and no man dares deceive him.

以害參利，則事可行。

Weigh the harm against the profit and the work can be carried through.

曲盡其利，則可勝矣。

Exhaust its profit turn by turn and one can win.

以所害而參所利，可以伸己之事。鄭師克蔡，國人皆喜，惟子産懼，曰︰「小國無文德而有武功，禍莫大焉。」後楚果伐鄭。此是在利思害也。

Weigh where the harm would be against where the profit would be, and one can spread out his own work. When the troops of Zheng (鄭) beat Cai (蔡), all the people of the state rejoiced, but Zichan (子産) alone was afraid and said, "A small state with no virtue in letters and only merit in arms — there is no calamity greater than this." Later Chu did indeed strike Zheng. This is thinking of the harm within the profit.

旣參於利，則亦計於害，雖有患可解也。

Having reckoned the profit along with the rest, he comes to reckon the harm as well; so though there is trouble, it can be undone.

智者爲利害之事，必合於道，不至於極。

In handling matters of profit and harm the wise man always keeps to reason and does not push them to the end.

我欲解敵人之患，不可但見敵能害我之事，亦須先以我能取敵人之利，參雜而計量之，然後有患乃可解釋也。故上文云「智者之慮，必雜於利害」也。譬如敵人圍我，我若但知突圍而去，志必懈怠，卽必爲追擊；未若勵士奮擊，因戰勝之利以解圍也。舉一可知也。

If I would undo the enemy's trouble for me, I must not look only at the ways he would harm me but must also first reckon in what profit I may gain from him; only then can the trouble be undone. This is why the text above says, "The thinking of a wise man always mixes profit and harm." For instance, when the enemy has ringed me about, if I know only to break out of the ring and flee, my will is sure to slacken and I shall at once be pursued and struck; it is better to hearten the troops, strike out boldly, and undo the ring by the profit of winning the fight. Give one case and the rest can be known.

在害之時，則思利而免害。故措之死地則生，投之亡地則存，是其患解也。

In a time of harm he thinks of profit and so slips free of the harm. This is why putting men where they must die makes them live, and casting them where they must perish leaves them standing: this is trouble being undone.

以利參害，則禍可脫。

Weigh the profit against the harm and calamity can be escaped.

周知其害，則不敗矣。

Know its harm all round and one is not beaten.

利害相生，明者常慮。

Profit and harm give birth to each other, and the clear-sighted man always reckons them.

以所利而參所害，可以解己之難。張方入洛陽，連戰皆敗。或勸方宵遁，方曰︰「兵之利鈍是常，貴因敗以爲成耳。」夜，潛進逼敵，遂致克捷。此是在害思利也。

Weigh where the profit would be against where the harm would be, and one can undo his own hardship. Zhang Fang (張方) entered Luoyang (洛陽) and fought one battle after another, losing them all. Someone urged him to flee by night, but Zhang Fang said, "That troops are keen or blunt is a common thing; what is precious is to make a footing of defeat and so achieve something." By night he secretly advanced, closed with the enemy, and won in the end. This is thinking of the profit within the harm.

害其所惡也。

One harms him by what he hates.

害其政也。

It is to harm his government.

惡，音一路反。言敵人苟有其所惡之事，我能乘而害之，不失其機，則能屈敵也。

The sound of wu (惡) is the split reading of yi-lu (一路). It means that if the enemy has something he shrinks from, and I ride on it to harm him and do not let the sign slip by, the enemy can be bent.

爲害之計，理非一途，或誘其賢智，令彼無臣；或遺以姦人，破其政令；或爲巧詐，間其君臣；或遺工巧，使其人疲財耗；惑饋淫樂，變其風俗；或與美人，惑亂其心。此數事，若能潛運陰謀，密行不泄，皆能害人，使之屈折也。

The plans for doing harm do not run by one road only. One may lure away his worthy and wise men so that he is left without officers; send crafty men to break his government and his laws; use cunning deceits to open a rift between his ruler and his officers; send skilled artisans to wear out his people and eat away his goods; send lewd entertainments to change his customs; or give him beautiful women to disorder his heart. Plan these several things in secret, carry them out without a gap and let nothing leak, and all of them can harm a man and bend and break him.

制之以害，則屈也。

Cut his course with harm and he bends.

窮屈於必害之地，勿使可解也。

One must drive him onto harmful ground, bend him, and leave him no way to get free.

致之於受害之地，則自屈服。或曰︰間之使君臣相疑，勞之使民失業，所以害之也。若韋孝寬間斛律光，高熲平陳之策是也。

Bring him to ground where he takes harm and he bends and bows of himself. Some put it this way: to open a rift so that ruler and officers come to suspect each other, and to wear him out so that the people lose their livelihood, is the road of doing harm. Wei Xiaokuan (韋孝寬) opening a rift against Hulü Guang (斛律光), and Gao Jiong's (高熲) plan for pacifying Chen (陳), are this.

業，事也。使其煩勞，若彼入我出，彼出我入也。

Ye (業) means work. It is to make him harried and worn: when he comes in, I go out; when he goes out, I come in, and the like.

煩其農也。

It is to harry his farming.

言勞役敵人，使不得休，我須先有事業，乃可爲也。事業者，兵衆、國富、人和、令行也。

It means that to set the enemy to hard work and give him no rest, I must first have the means to do it, and only then can it be done. The means are many troops, an ample state, men in harmony, and orders that are carried out.

能以事勞役諸侯之人，令不得安佚。韓人令秦鑿渠之類是也。或以奇技藝業、淫巧功能，令其耽之心目，內役諸侯，若此而勞。

With tasks one can set the lords' men to hard work and leave them no ease — as when the men of Han (韓) had Qin (秦) cut a waterway. Or else, by strange skills and overly cunning crafts, one sinks his heart and eyes in them, and so from within sets the lord to work and wears him out in this way.

撓之以事，則勞。

Throw him into disorder with tasks and he is worn out.

常若爲攻襲之業，以弊敵也。田常曰︰「吾兵業已加魯矣。」

One acts always as if about to strike and fall upon him, and so wears the enemy out. Tian Chang (田常) said, "My troops have already reached Lu (魯)."

以事勞之，使不得休。或曰︰壓之以富彊之業，則可役使。若晉、楚國彊，鄭人以犧牲玉帛奔走以事之是也。

With tasks one wears him out and gives him no rest. Some put it this way: press him from an ample and strong footing and he can be set to work — as when Jin and Chu were strong and the men of Zheng ran to serve them with sacrificial beasts, jade and silk.

令自來也。

It is to make him come of himself.

誘之以利。

One lures him with profit.

言以利誘之，使自來至我也，墮吾畫中。

It means to lure him with profit so that he comes to me of himself and falls into the picture I have drawn.

趨，速也。善示以利，令忘變而速至，我作變以制之，亦謂得人之用也。

Qu (趨) means quick. It means that one shows the profit well so that he forgets the changes and comes quickly, while I make the changes and cut his course; this too is getting the use of men.

梅堯臣同杜牧《註》。

Mei Yaochen's note is the same as Du Mu's (杜牧).

趨敵之間，當周旋我利也。

While making the enemy come running, one ought to turn his own profit round to full use.

動之以小利，使之必趨。

Move him with a small profit and he is sure to come running.

所恃者，不懈也。

What one relies on is not being slack.

安不忘危，常設備也。

In ease one does not forget danger, and one is always prepared.

預備不可闕也。

Preparing beforehand cannot be left out.

安則思危，存則思亡，常有備。

At ease, think of danger; still standing, think of ruin; and always have preparation made.

所賴者，有備也。

What one leans on is having made preparation.

備者，實也。

Preparation is fullness.

《吳略》曰︰「君子當安平之世，刀劒不離身。」古諸侯相見，兵衞不徹警，蓋雖有文事，必有武備，況守邊固圉，交刃之際歟？凡兵所以勝者，謂擊其空虛，襲其懈怠；苟嚴整終事，則敵人不至。《傳》曰︰「不備不虞，不可以師。」昔晉人禦秦，深壘固軍以待之，秦師不能久。楚爲陳，而吳人至，見有備而返。程不識將屯，正部曲行伍營陳，擊刁斗，吏治軍簿，虜不得犯。朱然爲軍師，雖世無事，每朝夕嚴鼓兵，在營者咸行裝就隊，使敵不知所備，故出輒有功。是謂能外禦其侮者乎！常能居安思危，在治思亂，戒之於無形，防之於未然，斯善之善者也。其次莫如險其走集，明其伍候，慎固其封守，繕完其溝隍，或多調軍食，或益修戰械。故曰︰物不素具，不可以應卒。又曰︰惟事事乃其有備，有備無患。常使彼勞我佚，彼老我壯，亦可謂「先人有奪人之心」、「不戰而屈人之師」也。若夫莒以恃陋而潰，齊以狎敵而殲，虢以易晉而亡，魯以果邾而敗，莫敖小羅而無次，吳子入巢而自輕，斯皆可以作鑒也。故「吾有以待」、「吾有所不可攻」者，能預備之之謂也。

The *Wu lüe* (吳略) says: a gentleman does not put sword and blade from his person even in a time of peace. When the lords of old met one another, the guard of troops did not stand down from its watch; though there were matters of writing, there was always the preparation of arms. How much more in holding a frontier and making its fences fast, at the moment when blades cross? Now the reason troops win is said to be striking where he is empty and falling upon him where he is slack; and if one is stern and orderly and carries the matter through to the end, the enemy does not come. The *Zuo Commentary* (左傳) says: without preparation and without foresight, one cannot take the field. Long ago, when the men of Jin warded off Qin, they deepened their ramparts and made their army fast and waited, and the Qin army could not hold out long. Chu drew up its lines, and the men of Wu came, saw that preparation had been made, and went back. When Cheng Bushi (程不識) led the garrison troops, he set his companies, ranks and camps in order, had the diaodou (刁斗, the clapper that sounds the night watches) beaten, and had his officers keep the army's registers, and the barbarians could not break in. When Zhu Ran (朱然) was commander, though the age was without trouble he had the drums beaten morning and evening to keep the troops stern, so that all in camp packed their kit and fell in, and the enemy never knew where he was prepared; and so whenever he went out he always accomplished something. This is what it is to be able to ward off insult from without. Always to dwell at ease and think of danger, to be in order and think of disorder, to take care before any shape appears and to guard against a thing before it comes about: this is the best of the good. Next best is nothing so much as to make the passes of one's roads difficult, to keep clear one's files and lookouts, to make careful and fast the guarding of one's borders, to mend and make whole one's ditches and moats, and either to move up much army grain or to put the fighting gear in better repair. So it is said: if things are not got ready beforehand, one cannot meet what comes suddenly. And again: only by making a business of every business is there preparation, and where there is preparation there is no trouble. If one always makes the other side toil while one's own is at ease, the other side grow old while one's own stay hale, then one may also speak of being before others and taking away their hearts, and of bending another's army without a fight. As for Ju (莒), which was broken because it trusted in its own flimsiness; Qi, which was wiped out because it made light of its enemy; Guo (虢), which perished because it took Jin lightly; Lu, which was beaten because it was rash with Zhu (邾); Mo'ao (莫敖), who lost his order because he thought Luo (羅) small; and Wuzi, who entered Chao (巢) and made light of himself: all these may be taken as mirrors. Therefore the words I have something to wait with and there is that in me which cannot be attacked mean being able to prepare beforehand.

言須思患而預防之。《傳》曰︰「不備不虞，不可以師。」

It means that one must think of trouble and ward it off beforehand. The *Zuo Commentary* says: without preparation and without foresight, one cannot take the field.

下五事也。

They are the five things below.

勇而無慮，必欲死鬬，不可曲撓，可以奇伏中之。

He is brave but without reckoning, bent on fighting to the death and not knowing how to bend; so he can be struck by a surprise attack or an ambush.

勇而無謀也。

It is being bold but without stratagem.

將愚而勇者，患也。黃石公曰︰「勇者好行其志，愚者不顧其死。」《吳子》曰︰「凡人之論將，常觀於勇；勇之於將，乃數分之一耳。夫勇者必輕合，輕合而不知利，未可將也。」

A general who is foolish and merely bold is a trouble. The Yellow Stone Elder (黃石公) said: the bold like to carry out their own will, and the foolish take no thought for their own death. The *Wuzi* says: when people discuss a general they always look to boldness; but boldness is only one part in several in a general. The bold are sure to close lightly, and one who closes lightly without knowing where the advantage lies cannot be made a general.

梅堯臣同李筌《註》。

Mei Yaochen's note is the same as Li Quan's (李筌).

《司馬法》曰︰「上死不勝。」言貴其謀勝也。

The *Sima fa* (司馬法) says: exalt death and you do not win. It means that winning by stratagem is held precious.

勇而無謀，必欲死鬬，不可與力爭，當以奇伏誘致而殺之。故《司馬法》曰︰「上死不勝。」言將無策略，止能以死先士卒，則不勝也。

When a man is bold but without stratagem and is bent on fighting to the death, one should not contend with him by force but draw him out with surprise and ambush and kill him. So the *Sima fa* says: exalt death and you do not win. It means that a general without plan or scheme, who can only go before his soldiers to his death, does not win.

見利畏怯不進也。

He sees the profit and yet, being afraid, does not advance.

疑怯可虜也。

One who doubts and is fearful can be taken captive.

晉將劉裕泝江追桓玄，戰於崢嶸洲。於時，義軍數千，玄兵甚盛；而玄懼有敗衂，常漾輕舸於舫側，故其衆莫有鬬心。義軍乘風縱火，盡銳爭先，玄衆是以大敗也。

Liu Yu (劉裕), a general of Jin, went up the river in pursuit of Huan Xuan (桓玄) and fought at Zhengrongzhou (崢嶸洲). At that time the loyal troops were a few thousand and Huan Xuan's army was very great; but Huan Xuan, fearing defeat, always kept a light boat afloat beside his barge, and so his host had no heart for the fight. The loyal troops set fires with the wind behind them and pressed forward with all their keenest men, and by this Huan Xuan's host was heavily beaten.

將之怯弱，志必生返，意不親戰，士卒不精，上下猶豫，可急擊而取之。《新訓》曰︰「爲將怯懦，見利而不能進。」太公曰︰「失利後時，反受其殃。」

When a general is fearful and weak and his mind is set on getting back alive, he has no heart to fight in person, his soldiers are not keen, and high and low waver; one can strike quickly and take him. The *Xin xun* (新訓) says: a general who is fearful and soft sees the advantage and yet cannot advance. Taigong (太公) said: miss the advantage and let the moment pass, and you receive the disaster of it in turn.

怯而不果。

He is fearful and cannot be decisive.

無鬬志。曹公曰︰「見利怯不進也。」晳謂見害亦輕走矣。

He has no will to fight. Cao Cao said: he sees the advantage but is too fearful to advance. To my mind, he will also run off lightly when he sees harm.

《司馬法》曰︰「上生多疑。」疑爲大患也。

The *Sima fa* says: exalt life and there is much doubt. Doubt is a great trouble.

臨陳畏怯，必欲生返，當鼓譟乘之，可以虜也。晉楚相攻，晉將趙嬰齊令其徒先具舟於河，欲敗而先濟是也。

One who is afraid and fearful when he faces the line and is bent on getting back alive should be set upon with drums and shouting, and he can be taken captive. When Jin and Chu struck at each other, Zhao Yingqi (趙嬰齊), a general of Jin, had his followers make boats ready on the Yellow River beforehand, meaning to cross first if they were beaten. This is it.

疾急之人，可忿怒侮而致之也。

A hasty man can be angered and slighted and so drawn out.

急疾之人，性剛而可侮致也。太宗殺宋老生而平霍邑。

A hasty man is hard in nature and can be drawn out by being slighted. Taizong (太宗) killed Song Laosheng (宋老生) and settled Huoyi (霍邑).

忿者，剛怒也。速者，褊急也，性不厚重也。若敵人如此，可以陵侮，使之輕進而敗之也。十六國姚襄攻黃落，前秦苻生遣苻黃眉、鄧羌討之。襄深溝高壘，固守不戰。鄧羌說黃眉曰︰「襄性剛很，易以剛動；若長驅鼓行，直壓其壘，必忿而出師，可一戰而擒也。」黃眉從之。襄怒出戰，黃眉等斬之。

Fen (忿) is to be hard and angry. Su (速) is to be narrow and hasty, a nature that is not thick and weighty. When an enemy is like this, one can slight and insult him, make him advance lightly, and beat him. In the time of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Yao Xiang (姚襄) attacked Huangluo (黃落), and Fu Sheng (苻生) of the Former Qin (前秦) sent Fu Huangmei (苻黃眉) and Deng Qiang (鄧羌) against him. Yao Xiang deepened his ditches and raised his ramparts and held fast without fighting. Deng Qiang said to Fu Huangmei: Yao Xiang is hard and fierce by nature and is easily moved by what is hard; drive far up with the drums beating and press straight on his ramparts, and he is sure to grow angry and send out his troops, and then he can be taken in a single battle. Fu Huangmei followed his word. Yao Xiang came out in anger to fight, and Fu Huangmei and the rest cut him down.

急疾之人，可忿怒而致死。忿速易怒者，狷戇疾急，不計其難，可動作欺侮。

A hasty man can be made angry and so brought to his death. One quick to anger is impatient and dull and takes no reckoning of the difficulty, so he can be stirred, deceived and slighted.

狷急易動。

He is impatient and easily stirred.

將性貴持重，忿猖則易撓。

In a general's nature, holding to weight is held precious; one who flies into a rage is easily thrown into disorder.

剛愎褊急之人，可凌侮而致之。楚子玉剛忿，晉人執其使以怒之，果從晉師，遂爲所敗是也。

A man hard, stubborn, narrow and hasty can be drawn out by being slighted. Ziyu (子玉) of Chu was hard and quick to anger, and the men of Jin seized his envoy to make him angry; he did indeed go after the Jin army and was beaten in the end. This is it.

廉潔之人，可汙辱致之也。

A clean man can be soiled and shamed and so drawn out.

矜疾之人，可辱也。

A man who boasts of himself and is hasty can be shamed.

此言敵人若高壁固壘，欲老我師，我勢不可留，利在速戰。揣知其將多忿急，則輕侮而致之；性本廉潔，則汙辱之。如諸葛孔明遺司馬仲達以巾幗，欲使怒而出戰；仲達忿怒欲濟師，魏帝遣辛毗仗節以止之。仲達之才，猶不勝其忿，況常才之人乎！

This speaks of a case where the enemy raises his walls and holds his ramparts fast, meaning to wear my army old, while my situation will not let me stay and the advantage lies in fighting quickly. If one gauges and knows that his general has much anger and haste, one slights him and draws him out; and if his nature is upright and clean, one defiles and shames him. It is like Zhuge Kongming sending Sima Zhongda (司馬仲達) a woman's headcloth, wanting to make him come out in anger to fight. Sima Zhongda in his anger was about to send his troops across, and the ruler of Wei sent Xin Pi (辛毗) with the tally of office to stop him. Even with Sima Zhongda's gifts he could not master his anger; how much less a man of ordinary gifts!

徇名不顧。

He chases a name and takes no thought of anything else.

王晳同曹操《註》。

Wang Xi's note is the same as Cao Cao's.

清潔愛民之士，可垢辱以撓之，必可致也。

A man clean and upright who loves the people can surely be drawn out if one defiles and shames him and throws him into disorder.

出其所必趨，愛民者，則必倍道兼行以救之，救之則煩勞也。

If one moves against the place he must run to, then he who loves the people will surely march double the road without halt to save it; and in setting out to save it he becomes harried and worn.

攻其所愛，必卷甲而救；愛其人，乃可以計疲。

Strike the place he loves and he is sure to roll up his armor and come to the rescue. Because he loves his people, one can wear him out by stratagem.

言仁人愛人者，惟恐殺傷，不能捨短從長，棄彼取此，不度遠近，不量事力，凡爲我攻，則必來救，如此可以煩之，令其勞頓，而後取之也。

It means that a humane man who loves people fears only killing and wounding; he cannot let go the short to follow the long, or give up that to take this, and he does not reckon far and near or measure the task against his strength: wherever I attack, he is sure to come to the rescue. In this way one can harry him and leave him worn and spent, and then take him.

兵有須救、不必救者，項羽救趙，此須救也；亞夫委梁，不必救也。

In war there is what must be rescued and what need not be. Xiang Yu's (項羽) rescue of Zhao had to be rescued; Yafu's leaving Liang (梁) to itself need not have been.

廉潔之人，不好侵掠；愛人之仁，不好鬬戰，辱而煩之，其動必敗。

A clean and upright man is not fond of raiding and seizing, and a humane man who loves people is not fond of fighting; shame him and harry him, and whatever he does is sure to fail.

力疲則困。

When his strength is worn out he is in straits.

以奇兵若將攻城邑者，彼愛民，必數救，則煩勞也。

If with surprise troops one makes as though to attack his walled towns, then since he loves his people he is sure to come to the rescue again and again, and so he is harried and worn.

民雖可愛，當審利害；若無微不救，無遠不援，則出其所必趨，使煩而閑也。

Though the people are worth loving, one ought to look to gain and harm. If there is nothing so small that he does not rescue it and nothing so far that he does not relieve it, then one comes out where he must hurry to, and so harries him and leaves an opening.

良將則不然。不必死，不必生，隨事而用；不忿速，不耻辱，見可如虎，否則閉戶。動靜以計，不可喜怒也。

A good general is not so. He is not bent on dying, nor bent on living, but is used as the matter requires. He is not angry and hasty, and he is not shamed by insult; when he sees it can be done he goes forth like a tiger, and if not he shuts his door. His moving and his staying still are by stratagem, and not to be done out of joy or anger.

皆將之失，爲兵之凶。

All of these are a general's faults and become calamities for an army.

將材古今難之，其性往往失於一偏爾。故孫子首篇言「將者，智、信、仁、勇、嚴」，貴其全也。

It is said that the makings of a general have been hard to find in old times and now, because such a nature often goes wrong by leaning to one side. So in the first chapter Sunzi (孫子) said: a general means wisdom, good faith, humaneness, boldness and sternness. He held it precious that these be whole.

庸常之將，守一而不知變，故取則於己，爲凶於兵。智者則不然，雖勇而不必死，雖怯而不必生，雖剛而不可侮，雖廉而不可辱，雖仁而不可煩也。

The common run of general keeps to one thing and does not know how to change, and so takes his own single way as his rule and becomes a calamity for the army. The wise man is not so: though bold, he is not bent on dying; though fearful, he is not bent on living; though hard, he cannot be slighted; though clean, he cannot be shamed; though humane, he cannot be harried.

此五種之人，不可任爲大將，用兵必敗也。

These five kinds of men cannot be given charge as commander-in-chief; if they handle troops they are sure to be beaten.

當慎重焉。

One ought to be careful and weighty in this.

言須識權變，不可執一道也。

It means that one must know how to weigh and to change, and cannot hold fast to a single way.