36 Stratagems Explained: English

Author: Editor-in-Chief: Sun Haichen
Publisher:
Publishing Time: 1996-01-01
Features: Excerpt: StrategyOneCrosstheSeaWithoutHeaven'sKnowledgeTranslationPeoplewhotakeampleprecautionsareliabletobeoffguard.Familiarsightsdonotrousesuspicion.Yinistheinnerinsteadoftheoppositeaspectofyang.Thegreatyangcontainsthegreatyin.PurportThiscommonexpressioncamefromthestoryofaningeniousTanggeneralwhodevisedamethodtotrans-porttheemperor(regardedastheSonofHeaveninimperialChina)safelyacrossthesea,doingsowithouteventheemperor'sownknowledge.Thewordheavenmayalsobeinterpretedliterally.Inancienttimesitwaseasytoconductsecretmilitaryoperationsonlandbytakingcoverinnaturalshelters,suchasmountainsandforests,whereastheopenwateroftheseaprovidednohiding-place.Therefore,inordertocrosstheseawithouttheav-en'sknowledge,onehadtomoveopenlyovertheseabutactasifonedidnotintendtocrossit.Eachmilitarymaneuverhastwoaspects:thesuperfi-cialmoveandtheunderlyingpurpose.Byconcealingboth,onecantaketheenemycompletelybysurprise.Butsuchidealsecrecycanseldombeattainedinactualwar-fare.Inmostcases,tokeeptheenemycompletelyigno-rantofone'soperationsisnoeasierthanto"crosstheseawiththe-ven'sknowledge."Theonlyalternativeistomaketheenemyneglectormisinterprettheunderlyingpurposeofone'soperation.Inotherwords,ifitishighlyunlikelythattheenemycanbekeptignorantofone'sactions,onecansometimesplaytricksrightunderitsQuotationsforReferenceOnewhoisgoodatmarshallingtroopsdoessobyputtingtheenemyintheunfathomablesituationoffight-ingwithshadows.Heassumesnopostureandrevealsnoshapesothatthereisnothinghecannotachieve.Herevealsnoshapeandshowsnomovesothatthereisnochangehecannotmake.Thisisthesupremeartofwar.BookofMasterGuan(GuanZi),ChapterSeventeen.