36 Strategies
From World's Chinese Wiki
The 36 Strategies
六六三十六，数中有术，术中有数。阴阳燮理，机在其中。机不可设，设则不中。
Advantageous Strategies〖胜战计〗
Strategy No 1
Name of Strategy:Deceiving Heaven to Cross the Sea, 瞒天过海 (pinyin: Mán tiān guò hǎi)
Original: 备周则意怠，常见则不疑。阴在阳之内，不在阳之对。太阳，太阴。
Illustration and Application of "Deceiving Heaven to Cross the Sea"
Strategy No 2
Name of Strategy:Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao, 围魏救赵 (pinyin: Wéi Wèi jiù Zhào)
Original: 共敌不如分敌，敌阳不如敌阴。
Illustration and Application of "Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao"
Strategy No 3
Name of Strategy:To Kill with a Borrowed Knife, 借刀杀人 (pinyin: Jiè dāo shā rén)
Original: 敌已明，友未定，引友杀敌。不自出力，以损推演。
Illustration and Application of "To Kill with a Borrowed Knife"
Strategy No 4
Name of Strategy: Conserving energy while enemies tired out, 以逸待劳 (pinyin: Yǐ yì dài láo)
Original: 困敌之势，不以战。损刚益柔。
Illustration and Application of "Conserving energy while enemies tired out"
Strategy No 5
Name of Strategy: To loot a house on fire, 趁火打劫 (pinyin: Chèn huǒ dǎ jié)
Original: 敌之害大，就势取利，刚决柔也。
Illustration and Application of "To loot a house on fire"
Strategy No 6
Name of Strategy: Feign an attack in the east and attack in the west, 声东击西 (pinyin: Shēng dōng jī xī)
Original: 敌志乱萃，不虞。坤下兑上之象，利其不自主而取之。
Illustration and Application of "Feign an attack in the east and attack in the west"
Opportunistic Strategies〖敌战计〗
Strategy No 7
Name of Strategy: Create something out of nothing, 无中生有 (pinyin: Wú zhōng shēng yǒu)
Original: 诳也，非诳也，实其所诳也。少阴、太阴、太阳。
Illustration and Application of "Create something out of nothing"
Strategy No 8
Name of Strategy: Secret Passage through Chen Cang,暗渡陈仓 (pinyin: Àn dù chén cāng)
Original: 示之以动，利其静而有主，“益动而巽”。
Illustration and Application of "Secret Passage through Chen Cang"
Strategy No 9
Name of Strategy:Observing the fire from the other side of the river bank, 隔岸观火 (pinyin: Gé àn guān huǒ)
Original: 阳乖序乱，阴以待逆。暴戾恣睢，其势自毙。顺以动豫，豫顺以动。
Illustration and Application of "Observing the fire from the other side of the river bank"
Strategy No 10
Name of Strategy:A dagger sheathed in a smile, 笑里藏刀 (pinyin: Xiào lǐ cáng dāo)
Original: 信而安之，阴以图之。备而后动，勿使有变。刚中柔外也。
Illustration and Application of "A dagger sheathed in a smile"
Strategy No 11
Name of Strategy: The plum dies in place of the peach, 李代桃僵 (pinyin: Lǐ dài táo jiāng)
Original: 势必有损，损阴以益阳。
Illustration and Application of "The plum dies in place of the peach"
Strategy No 12
Name of Strategy: Stealing a goat along the way, 顺手牵羊 (pinyin: Shùn shǒu qiān yáng)
Original: 微隙在所必乘，微利在所必得。少阴，少阳。
Illustration and Application of "Stealing a goat along the way"
Offensive Strategies〖攻战计〗
Strategy No 13
Name of Strategy: Startle the snake by hitting the grass, 打草惊蛇 (pinyin: Dá cǎo jīng shé)
Original: 疑以叩实，察而后动。复者，阴之媒也。
Illustration and Application of "Startle the snake by hitting the grass"
Strategy No 14
Name of Strategy:Borrowing a corpse to resurrrect a soul, 借尸还魂 (pinyin: Jiè shī huán hún)
Original: 有用者，不可借；不能用者，求借。借不能用者而用之。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。
Illustration and Application of "Borrowing a corpse to resurrrect a soul"
Strategy No 15
Name of Strategy:To lure a tiger from its mountain lair, 调虎离山 (pinyin: Diào hǔ lí shān)
Original:待天以困之，用人以诱之，往蹇来返。
Illustration and Application of "To lure a tiger from its mountain lair"
Strategy No 16
Name of Strategy: Releasing the enemy only to capture him later, 欲擒姑纵 (pinyin: Diào hǔ lí shān)
Original:逼则反兵，走则减势。紧随勿迫，累其气力，消其斗志，散而后擒，兵不血刃。需，有孚，光。
Illustration and Application of "Releasing the enemy only to capture him later"
Strategy No 17
Name of Strategy: Tossing out a brick to get a jade, 抛砖引玉 (pinyin: Pāo zhuān yǐn yù)
Original:类以诱之，击蒙也。
Illustration and Application of "Tossing out a brick to get a jade"
Strategy No 18
Name of Strategy:Disband the thieves by capturing its chief, 擒贼擒王 (pinyin: Qín zéi qín wáng)
Original: 摧其坚，夺其魁，以解其体。龙战于野，其道穷也。
Illustration and Application of "Disband the thieves by capturing its chief"
Confusion Strategies〖混战计〗
Strategy No 19
Name of Strategy: To remove the firewood under the cooking pot, 釜底抽薪 (pinyin: Fǔ dǐ chōu xīn)
Original: 不敌其力，而消其势，兑下乾上之象。
Illustration and Application of "To remove the firewood under the cooking pot"
Strategy No 20
Name of Strategy: To fish in muddy water, 混水摸鱼 (pinyin: Hún shuǐ mō yú)
Original: 乘其阴乱，利其弱而无主。随，以向晦入宴息。
Illustration and Application of "To fish in muddy water"
Strategy No 21
Name of Strategy: Golden Cicada shedding the skin, 金蝉脱壳 (pinyin: Jīn1 chán tuō kě)
Original: 存其形，完其势；友不疑，敌不动。巽而止蛊。
Illustration and Application of "Golden Cicada shedding the skin"
Strategy No 22
Name of Strategy: Shutting the door to catch the thief, 关门捉贼 (pinyin: Guān mén zhōu zéi)
Original: 小敌困之。剥，不利有攸往。
Illustration and Application of "Shutting the door to catch the thief"
Strategy No 23
Name of Strategy: Befriend the far and attack the near, 远交近攻 (pinyin: Yuǎn jiāo jīn gōng)
Original: 形禁势格，利从近取，害以远隔。上火下泽。
Illustration and Application of "Befriend the far and attack the near"
Strategy No 24
Name of Strategy: Borrow a passage to attack Guo, 假道伐虢 (pinyin: Jiǎ dào fá Guó)
Original: 两大之间，敌胁以从，我假以势。困，有言不信。
Illustration and Application of "Borrow a passage to attack Guo"
Deceptive Strategies〖并战计〗
Strategy No 25
Name of Strategy: Replace the superior beams and pillars with inferior ones, 偷梁换柱 (pinyin: Tōu liáng huàn zhù)
Original: 频更其阵，抽其劲旅，待其自败，而后乘之。曳其轮也。
Illustration and Application of "Replace the superior beams and pillars with inferior ones"
Strategy No 26
Name of Strategy: Pointing the mulberry but scolding the locust tree, 指桑骂槐 (pinyin: Zhǐ sāng mà huái)
Original: 大凌小者，警以诱之。刚中而应，行险而顺。
Illustration and Application of "Pointing the mulberry but scolding the locust tree"
Strategy No 27
Name of Strategy: Pretending to be insane while being intelligent, 假痴不癫 (pinyin: Jiǎ chī bù diān)
Original: 宁伪作不知不为，不伪作假知妄为。静不露机，云雷屯也。
Illustration and Application of "Pretending to be insane while being intelligent"
Strategy No 28
Name of Strategy: To remove the Ladder after ascending the Roof, 上屋抽梯 (pinyin: Shàng wū chōu tī)
Original: 假之以便，唆之使前，断其援应，陷之死地。遇毒，位不当也。
Illustration and Application of "To remove the Ladder after ascending the Roof"
Strategy No 29
Name of Strategy: Putting flowers on Tree, 树上开花 (pinyin: Shù shàng kāi huā)
Original: 借局布势，力小势大。鸿渐于陆，其羽可以为仪也。
Illustration and Application of "Putting flowers on Tree"
Strategy No 30
Name of Strategy: Guest Taking over the Host, 反客为主 (pinyin: Fǎn kè wéi zhǔ)
Original: 乘隙插足，扼其主机，渐之进也。
Illustration and Application of "Guest Taking over the Host"
Defeat Strategies〖败战计〗
Strategy No 31
Name of Strategy: Beauty Scheme, 美人计 (pinyin: Měi rén jì)
Original: 兵强者，攻其将；将智者，伐其情。将弱兵颓，其势自萎。利用御寇，顺相保也。
Illustration and Application of "Beauty Scheme"
Strategy No 32
Name of Strategy: Empty City Scheme, 空城计 (pinyin: Kōng chéng jì)
Original 虚者虚之，疑中生疑。刚柔之际，奇而复奇。
Illustration and Application of "Empty City Scheme"
Strategy No 33
Name of Strategy: Double Agent Scheme, 反间计 (pinyin: Fǎn jiàn jì)
Original: 疑中之疑。比之自内，不自失也。
Illustration and Application of "Double Agent Scheme"
Strategy No 34
Name of Strategy: Self Injury Scheme, 苦肉计 (pinyin: Kǔ ròu jì)
Original: 人不自害，受害必真。假真真假，间以得行。童蒙之吉，顺以巽也。
Illustration and Application of "Self Injury Scheme"
Strategy No 35
Name of Strategy: Interconnected Ploys, 连环计 (pinyin: Lián huán jì)
Original: 将多兵众，不可以敌，使其自累，以杀其势。在师中吉，承天宠也。
Illustration and Application of "Interconnected Ploys"
Strategy No 36
Name of Strategy: Escape as the Best Scheme, 走为上 (pinyin: Zǒu wéi shàng)
Original: 全师避敌。左次无咎，未失常也。
Illustration and Application of "Escape as the Best Scheme"