The Wisdom of the 36 Stratagems

Author: Yu Rubo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: A masterpiece by a strategic expert of the general level, authoritative interpretation, practical application; classic wisdom, passed down through the ages! [One strategy for prosperity, one for the nation, one for the world][Substitute the old with the new] In 1981, Bausch & Lomb's sales plummeted to a low point. CEO Daniel Gil decided to divest the loss-making business and invest funds in the core enterprise producing contact lenses and other products, resulting in the company's sales soaring from $400 million to $2 billion. [Play for time] In the late Sui Dynasty, with warlords rising and chaos engulfing the land, Taiyuan Governor Li Yuan launched an uprising in Jin'an, marking the beginning of his campaign to seize the world and establish the Tang Dynasty. [Bait and switch] In 204 BC, the Xiang Yu of the Chu Kingdom encircled Emperor Liu Bang's forces tightly in Xingyang. Liu Bang's generals pretended to surrender to Xiang Yu's army, while the real Liu Bang managed to escape. Two years later, Xiang Yu was defeated by Liu Bang. [Feint to the east, attack in the west] During World War II, the Allied fleets adopted a feint-to-the-east, attack-in-the-west tactic, successfully landing in Normandy and opening a second front against Nazi Germany.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a military treatise that gained popularity in modern times, classifying and discussing ancient Chinese military strategies. The book elaborates on the types of military strategies and their philosophical foundations, further developing, deepening, and specifying some ideas from The Art of War. It particularly delves into military deception and how to prevent it, offering valuable insights even in modern high-tech warfare.
The structure of this book is organized by each of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, with each chapter consisting of three parts: "Strategy Text," "Modern Translation," and "Explanation." To help readers better understand the original text of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, this book includes "Original Text Annotations" and "Modern Translation of Annotations" after each explanation. The explanations focus on the principles of each strategy, discussing them from various perspectives—historical and contemporary, geographical, military and non-military, positive and negative, theoretical and practical. The aim is to make the content informative, engaging, and practical, with a lively approach. Special attention is given to modernity, strategy, military applications, positive aspects, and practical use.