1. Laying Plans

Contents

Text

English translation

Original Chinese text

English translation

Sun Tzu says that warfare is the state’s gravest undertaking, one that decides life, death, and the survival of the realm, so it must not be entered casually. He therefore sets five factors as the core tests and then applies seven calculations to infer the real state of affairs.

This is a precondition-setting principle: strategy starts from systematic assessment, not from impulse.

Original Chinese text

English translation

'Dao' means common purpose: the people and ruler share intent, ready to live and die together. 'Heaven' means climate, seasons, and timing. 'Earth' means terrain: elevation, distance, risk, width, narrowness, and the practical conditions tied to life and death. 'The commander' means intelligence, trust, humanity, courage, and discipline. 'Method' means institutional rules, command channels, and how force is organized and employed.

These five are well known, but only those who truly understand them can win. The seven checks then test whether purpose, leadership, conditions, laws, manpower strength, troop readiness, and reward-and-punishment discipline are in place, allowing an early estimate of victory.

Original Chinese text

English translation

If a commander follows my plan, using him can secure victory; if he refuses, using him will lead to defeat and should be discarded. Advantage comes from adopting sound calculations and turning them into force posture, where the commander uses available gains to constrain the opponent.

War is deception as practice, so apparent weakness and strength are deliberately reversed: able yet feigning inability, advancing and withdrawing to mislead distance and timing. Strategic force is made not by brute force alone but by manipulating expectations, then striking when the opponent is unprepared.

Original Chinese text

English translation

Before fighting, if planning yields a clear winning line, it means sufficient calculation was made. If planning is not won before battle, the calculation is poor; with too little calculation, victory is unlikely. How then could one without calculation prevail?

Sun Tzu places prewar modeling at the front of decision-making. A side that can map variables before action is often already closer to deciding the outcome.

Feedback