New Interpretation of the Art of War

Author: Shi Zhihua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The Art of War is a classic of human culture and a treasure trove of Eastern strategy. In this book, Sun Tzu teaches you:
- How to subdue opponents in the battlefield of life
- How to acquire winning resources from opponents
- The realm and vision required for victory in a hundred battles
- The unbeatable strategy of self-preservation for complete victory
- "Creating momentum" as the tactics and secrets to winning
- Transforming the enemy's strength into weakness and your own weakness into strength
- The fast-forward method for life: taking the indirect path as the direct one
- Examples and self-adaptation, the nine transformations technique
- Excerpt: "The victory of the army lies in avoiding the solid and striking the empty."
In most commentaries, "" is translated as "form." The Collected Annotations of The Art of War translates it as "victory" based on Han bamboo texts, arguing that "victory" carries deeper meaning and aligns with the following line, "The army gains victory by adapting to the enemy." This significant change gives the sentence a distinct meaning. The Collected Annotations of The Art of War interprets "" as the key to winning. The sentence is translated as: "The victory in war is achieved by avoiding the enemy's solid positions and striking their weaknesses." Most commentaries, however, render it as "The army's form is to avoid the solid and strike the empty," meaning: "The principle of warfare is to avoid the enemy's solid positions and strike their weaknesses." In the Wuzhi chapter, Sun Tzu introduces the famous idea of "avoiding the solid and striking the empty," which can be seen as the crowning touch. Looking back at the beginning of the chapter, Sun Tzu discusses the key to transforming the enemy's and one's own, then moves on to the methods of doing so, followed by the steps and secrets of probing the enemy's weaknesses and using them. These are like the blood-filled body of a dragon. The revelation of "avoiding the solid and striking the empty" is like the dragon's eye, bringing life and vitality to the body, making it radiant and full of charm. Sun Tzu's idea of "avoiding the solid and striking the empty" is a universal principle in military strategy. For thousands of years, it has been inherited, applied, and developed by ancient and modern military strategists. Our older generation of proletarian military leaders, such as Liu Bocheng, emphasized "finding and creating weaknesses," while Zhu De pointed out "seeking the enemy's weaknesses." Mao Zedong's Ten Military Principles clearly reflect this idea, with the sixth principle being "First strike dispersed and isolated enemies, then strike concentrated and powerful enemies." Sun Tzu's concept of "avoiding the solid and striking the empty" remains highly relevant in modern warfare. For example, after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Egyptian forces successfully crossed the Suez Canal, broke through Israel's defensive lines in the Sinai Peninsula, and advanced, achieving a unprecedentedly glorious victory. As Egyptian and Israeli forces fiercely contested several key mountain passes, Sharon, commander of the Israeli Southern Command, proposed to the Israeli Supreme Command a plan to cross the canal, attack Egypt's vulnerable rear, and cut off their supply lines. The Israeli Supreme Command approved this operation. On October 16, after losing seventy tanks, Sharon