★第一计 瞒天过海
Crossing the sea under camouflage
古：备周则意怠；常见则不疑。阴在阳之内，不在阳之对。太阳，太阴。
白：是使用伪装的手段，利用机会，趁对方不注意的时候，出其不意的行动，让人措手不及。
英文注释：Mask your real goals, by using the ruse of a fake goal, until the real goal is achieved. Tactically, this is known as an 'open feint': in front of everyone, you point west, when your goal is actually in the east.
★第二计 围魏救赵Relieving the state of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei
古：共敌不如分敌；敌阳不如敌阴。
白：利用敌人的精锐去攻打别的国家，当二军相持不下时，趁隙攻占敌方的本土，待敌回国的时候，在途中予以迎头痛击，并把他们消灭掉。
英文注释：When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead. The idea here is to avoid a head-on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at his weakness elsewhere. This will force the strong enemy to retreat in order to support his weakness. Battling against the now tired and low-morale enemy will give a much higher chance of success.
★第三计 借刀杀人Killing someone with a borrowed knife
古：敌已明，友示定，引友杀敌，不自出力，以《损》推演。
白：利用矛盾、反间、离间等谋略，巧妙的借用别国的力量，来击败敌人，并能保存自己的实力。
英文注释：When you do not have the means to attack your enemy directly, then attack using the strength of another. Trick an ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him.
★第四计 以逸待劳Waiting at one's ease for the exhausted enemy
古：困敌之势，不以战；损刚益柔。
白：乃占有利的形势，一面防止敌人的功击，一面养精蓄锐，等到敌人士气低落的时候，再采取主动攻击的策略。
英文注释：It is an advantage to choose the time and place for battle. In this way you know when and where the battle will take place, while your enemy does not. Encourage your enemy to expend his energy in futile quests while you conserve your strength. When he is exhausted and confused, you attack with energy and purpose.
★第五计 趁火打劫Plundering a burning house
古：敌之害大，就势取利，刚决柔也。
白：趁著人家的家里失火时，闯入屋内掠夺财物，也就，是说趁著敌人处於危险混乱的时候加以攻击的策略。
英文注释：When a country is beset by internal conflicts, when disease and famine ravage the population, when corruption and crime are rampant, then it will be unable to deal with an outside threat. This is the time to attack.
★第六计 声东击西Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
古：敌志乱萃，不虞，坤下兑上之象。利其不自主而取之。
白：利用巧妙的方法诱敌，使敌人产生错觉，再乘机消灭敌人。
英文注释：In any battle the element of surprise can provide an overwhelming advantage. Even when face to face with an enemy, surprise can still be employed by attacking where he least expects it. To do this you must create an expectation in the enemy's mind through the use of a feint.
★第七计 无中生有Creating something out of nothing
古：诳也，非诳也，实其所诳也。少阴，太阴，太阳。
白：所谓无中生有是将没有假装成有，使出虚虚实实的手段，以混淆对方判断的策略。
英文注释：You use the same feint twice. Having reacted to the first and often the second feint as well, the enemy will be hesitant to react to a third feint. Therefore the third feint is the actual attack catching your enemy with his guard down.
★第八计 暗渡陈仓Advancing secretly by an unknown path
古：示之以动，利其静而有主，“益动而巽”。
白：此计和声东击西有异曲同工之妙，亦即假装要出兵攻击，诱使敌方注意，集中兵力防备，我方却从另一个方向予以突击。这即是出其不意，攻其不备的策略。
英文注释：Deceive the enemy with an obvious approach that will take a very long time, while surprising him by taking a shortcut and sneak up to him. As the enemy concentrates on the decoy, he will miss you sneaking up to him.
★第九计 隔岸观火Watching a fire from the other side of the river
古：阳乖序乱，阴以待逆。暴戾恣睢，其势自毙。顺以动豫，豫顺以动。
白：静观对岸火势，按兵不动，不论遇到任何事，就静静的观察变化。
英文注释：Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves. Then go in at full strength and pick up the pieces.
★第十计 笑里藏刀Covering the dagger with a smile
古：信而安之，阴以图之。备而后动，勿使有变。刚中柔外也。
白：表面上露出笑容，态度和善，使人疏於防备，而自己却秘密策划，准备充份后，一举打败对方，这是表面柔和，却暗藏杀机的策略。
英文注释：Charm and ingratiate yourself with your enemy. When you have gained his trust, move against him in secret.
★第十一计 李代桃僵Palming off substitute for the real thing
古：势必有损，损阴以益阳。
白：就是舍弃李而获得桃的策略。也就是用最小的损失得到最大的胜利。
英文注释：There are circumstances in which you must sacrifice short-term objectives in order to gain the long-term goal. This is the scapegoat strategy whereby someone else suffers the consequences so that the rest do not.
★第十二计 顺手牵羊Picking up something in passing
古：微隙在所必乘，微利在所必得。少阴，少阳。
白：原来的意思是说，在路上看到一只羊，便顺手把它牵回去的意思，就是趁对方不注意的时候，把人家的东西拿走。
英文注释：While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.
★第十三计 打草惊蛇Beating the grass to frighten the snake
古：疑以叩实，察而后动。复者，阴之媒也。
白：以木棍挥打四周的草丛，使躲在草中的蛇惊惶奔走，进而加以捉捕。当敌情不明时，应切实掌握情况后，再展开行动，如此才不会陷入敌人的埋伏中。
英文注释：Do something unaimed, but spectacular ("hitting the grass") to provoke a response of the enemy ("startle the snake"), thereby giving away his plans or position, or just taunt him. Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking. More widely used as "[Do not] startle the snake by hitting the grass". An imprudent act will give your position or intentions away to the enemy.
★第十四计 借尸还魂Resurrecting a dead soul by borrowing a corpse
古：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。
白：原意是指，已失去的效用东西，又以另外一种方式出现。
英文注释：Take an institution, a technology, a method, or even an ideology that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose. Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or bring to life old ideas, customs, or traditions and reinterpret them to fit your purposes.
★第十五计 调虎离山Luring the tiger out of his den
古：待天以困之，用人以诱之，往蹇来返。
白：老虎是山中之王，因此若想打虎，必须要先把老虎从山中引诱出来，所谓虎落平阳被犬欺，因为老虎离开了山区后，威风尽失。这句话用在战略上，就是说当强敌一但离开其根据地，失去了优势后，再予以攻击。
英文注释：Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his position thus separating him from his source of strength.
★第十六计 欲擒故纵Letting the enemy off in order to catch him
古：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。
白：以退为进，却抑先与的策略。在包围攻击时，故意放纵敌人，并不是任意的放纵敌人，而是先放松一下，不把敌人逼的太紧，所谓的逼则兵反，纵则灭势，紧随勿迫，累其气力，散而后擒，兵不血刃。
英文注释：Cornered prey will often mount a final desperate attack. To prevent this you let the enemy believe he still has a chance for freedom. His will to fight is thus dampened by his desire to escape. When in the end the freedom is proven a falsehood the enemy's morale will be defeated and he will surrender without a fight.
★第十七计 抛砖引玉Giving the enemy something to induce him to lose more valuable things
古：类以诱之，击蒙也。
白：其意是指利用没有价值的东西来换取珍贵而有价值的策略。有以小易大、以贱易贵的意思。
英文注释：Bait someone by making him believe he gains something or just make him react to it ("toss out a brick") and obtain something valuable from him in return ("get a jade gem").
★第十八计 擒贼擒王Capturing the ringleader first in order to capture all the followers
古：摧其坚，夺其魁，以解其体。龙战于野，其道穷也。
白：挽弓当自强，用箭当用长，射人先射马，擒贼先擒王。作战时要先把敌方的主力摧毁，先俘虏其领导人，就可以瓦解敌人的战力。
英文注释：If the enemy's army is strong but is allied to the commander only by money, superstition or threats, then take aim at the leader. If the commander falls the rest of the army will disperse or come over to your side. If, however, they are allied to the leader through loyalty then beware, the army can continue to fight on after his death out of vengeance
★第十九计 釜底抽薪Extracting the firewood from under the cauldron
古：不敌其力，而消其势，兑下乾上之象。
白：就是抽薪止沸，彻底根除的意思。换句话说，当敌人势力强大，我方无法以实力与其相对抗时，就要运用策略以削弱敌方的气势，进而屈服对方，出其不意的打击对方的弱点。
英文注释：Take out the leading argument or asset of someone; "steal someone's thunder". This is the very essence of indirect approach: instead of attacking enemy's fighting forces, the attacks are directed against his ability to wage war.
★第二十计 混水摸鱼Muddling the water to catch the fish; fishing in troubled waters
古：乘其阴乱，利其弱而无主。随，以向晦入宴息。
白：原意是指搅混池水，使鱼儿昏头转向，然后加以捕捉。利用敌人内部混乱，失去主体性时再予以攻击，即可以轻易击溃对方。
英文注释：Create confusion and use this confusion to further your own goals.
★第二十一计 金蝉脱壳Slipping away by casting off a cloak; getting away like the cicada sloughing its skin
古：存其形，完其势；友不疑，敌不动。巽而止蛊。
白：在千钧一发之际，设法留下伪装的假像，以掩人耳目，然后暗中逃走，这种巧妙的脱身方法就是金蝉脱壳。
英文注释：Mask yourself. Either leave one's distinctive traits behind, thus becoming inconspicuous, or masquerade as something or someone else. This strategy is mainly used to escape from enemy of superior strength.
★第二十二计 关门捉贼Catching the thief by closing / blocking his escape route
古：小敌困之。剥，不利有攸往。
白：当贼跑到屋内时，将门窗关紧，让其无路可退，再加以捕捉，有瓮中捉鳖的味道。也就是说紧紧的包围对方予以一网打尽。
英文注释：To capture your enemy, or more generally in fighting wars, to deliver the final blow to your enemy, you must plan prudently if you want to succeed. Do not rush into action. Before you "move in for the kill", first cut off your enemy's escape routes, and cut off any routes through which outside help can reach them.
★第二十三计 远交近攻Befriending the distant enemy while attacking a nearby enemy
古：形禁势格，利从近取，害以远隔。上火下泽。
白：照字面上的意思是说：与远方的国家缔交联盟，以攻击邻国。
英文注释：It is known that nations that border each other become enemies while nations separated by distance and obstacles make better allies. When you are the strongest in one field, your greatest threat is from the second strongest in your field, not the strongest from another field.
★第二十四计 假途伐虢Attacking the enemy by passing through a common neighbor
古：两大之间，敌胁以从，我假以势。困，有言不信。
白：就是趁小国有危难的时候，藉著救援之名而加以并吞。
英文注释：Borrow the resources of an ally to attack a common enemy. Once the enemy is defeated, use those resources to turn on the ally that lent you them in the first place.
★第二十五计 偷梁换柱Stealing the beams and pillars and replacing them with rotten timbers
古：频更其阵，抽其劲旅，待其自败，而后乘之。曳其轮也。
白：就是暗中将对方的主力调换，削弱战力的策略。和偷天换日、偷龙转凤的意义相同的。
英文注释：Disrupt the enemy's formations, interfere with their methods of operations, change the rules in which they are used to following, go contrary to their standard training. In this way you remove the supporting pillar, the common link that makes a group of men an effective fighting force.
★第二十六计 指桑骂槐Reviling / abusing the locust tree while pointing to the mulberry
古：大凌小者，警以诱之。刚中而应，行险而顺。
白：势力强大者要使弱小者屈服，应不露痕迹，委婉的提出警告，是一种间接的指责方法。
英文注释：To discipline, control, or warn others whose status or position excludes them from direct confrontation; use analogy and innuendo. Without directly naming names, those accused cannot retaliate without revealing their complicity.
★第二十七计 假痴不癫Feigning madness without becoming insane
古：宁伪作不知不为，不伪作假知妄为。静不露机，云雷屯也。
白：便是装成痴呆状，让对方消除戒心，其实内心非常的冷静，等最佳的时机就立刻行动。
英文注释：Hide behind the mask of a fool, a drunk, or a madman to create confusion about your intentions and motivations. Lure your opponent into underestimating your ability until, overconfident, he drops his guard. Then you may attack.
★第二十八计 上层抽梯Removing the ladder after the enemy has climbed up the roof
古：假之以便，唆之使前，断其援应，陷之死地。遇毒，位不当也。
白：以利益诱使对方深入困境后，再彻底的予以消灭，不留后路。和过桥拆板和过河拆桥意思是一样的。
英文注释：With baits and deceptions, lure your enemy into treacherous terrain. Then cut off his lines of communication and avenue of escape. To save himself, he must fight both your own forces and the elements of nature.
★第二十九计 树上开花Putting artificial flowers on trees
古：借局布势，力小势大。鸿渐于陆，其羽可以为仪也。
白：当己方处於劣势的时候，隐瞒自己的实力，明明乏力却故作很有实力的样子，让敌方摸不清相，以便能出奇致胜，颇有置之死地而后生的味道。
英文注释：Tying silk blossoms on a dead tree gives the illusion that the tree is healthy. Through the use of artifice and disguise, make something of no value appear valuable; of no threat appear dangerous; of no use appear useful.
★第三十计 反客为主Turning from the guest into the host
古：乘隙插足，扼其主机，渐之进也。
白：由被动的状态转为主动，进而掌握到控制权，与喧宾夺主意义相同，是以渐进的方式进行，一有机会就立刻把握住，进而掌握主导权。
英文注释：Usurp leadership in a situation where you are normally subordinate. Infiltrate your target. Initially, pretend to be a guest to be accepted, but develop from inside and become the owner later.
★第三十一计 美人计Using seductive women to corrupt the enemy
古：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。
白：兵强攻其将，将智伐其情，将弱兵颓，其势自萎，以利御寇，顺而相保。美人计就是用美女来迷惑对方，使其耽溺於享乐，失去战斗的意志。
英文注释：Send your enemy beautiful women to cause discord within his camp. This strategy can work on three levels. First, the ruler becomes so enamoured with the beauty that he neglects his duties and allows his vigilance to wane. Second, other males at court will begin to display aggressive behaviour that inflames minor differences hindering co-operation and destroying morale. Third, other females at court, motivated by jealousy and envy, begin to plot intrigues further exacerbating the situation.
★第三十二计 空城计Presenting a bold front to conceal unpreparedness
古：虚者虚之，疑中生疑。刚柔之际，奇而复奇。
白：这是一种心理战，让敌人心生疑虑，以为我方有埋伏，而不敢贸然出击，以佯装来扰乱敌人的判断力，使其嶨动退兵而解除危机，这也是不得已的办法，若被敌方识破的话，可能会全军覆没。
英文注释：When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretense of military preparedness, act calmly and taunt the enemy, so that the enemy will think you have a huge ambush hidden for them. It works best by acting calm and at ease when your enemy expects you to be tense.
★第三十三计 反间计Sowing discord among the enemy
古：疑中之疑。比之自内，不自失也。
白：利用间谍传播假情报，以达到离间分化的目的。
英文注释：Undermine your enemy's ability to fight by secretly causing discord between him and his friends, allies, advisors, family, commanders, soldiers, and population. While he is preoccupied settling internal disputes, his ability to attack or defend is compromised.
★第三十四计 苦肉计Deceiving the enemy by torturing one's own man
古：人不自害，受害必真。假真真假，间以得行。童蒙之吉，顺以巽也。
白：故意伤害自己，利用血泪换取敌人的信任，再行反间颠覆敌人。
英文注释：Pretending to be injured has two possible applications. In the first, the enemy is lulled into relaxing his guard since he no longer considers you to be an immediate threat. The second is a way of ingratiating yourself to your enemy by pretending the injury was caused by a mutual enemy.
★第三十五计 连环计Coordinating one stratagem with another
古：将多兵众，不可以敌，使其自累，以杀其势。在师中吉，承天宠也
白：就是计上计，先用一个计谋混淆敌人的判断力，再以另一个计谋加以攻击，如此计中生计，使敌人内部互相矛盾，以达到击败敌人的目的。
英文注释：In important matters, one should use several stratagems applied simultaneously after another as in a chain of stratagems. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; however, in this manner if any one strategy fails, then the chain breaks and the whole scheme fails.
★第三十六计 走为上计Decamping being the best; running away as the best choice
古：全师避敌。左次无咎，未失常也。
白：走为上策不是三十六计中最明智的计策，而是说当情况非常危险的时候，走到恰到好处，走到让人觉得聪明的。
英文注释：If it becomes obvious that your current course of action will lead to defeat, then retreat and regroup. When your side is losing, there are only three choices remaining: surrender, compromise, or escape. Surrender is complete defeat, compromise is half defeat, but escape is not defeat. As long as you are not defeated, you still have a chance.This is the most famous of the stratagems, immortalized in the form of a Chinese idiom: "Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is best".
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