Thirty-Six Stratagems - One Tip a Day

Author: Chen Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: When preparations are thorough, one may become complacent; what is common is not suspected. The Yin is within the Yang, not opposite to it. The Sun and the Moon. According to the original text, conspiracies should not be carried out in secret. Thieves operating at midnight, killers in secluded alleys—such foolish and vulgar acts are not the behavior of a strategist.
Annotations
④ The Yin is within the Yang, not opposite to it: Initially, Yin and Yang referred to the direction of sunlight—facing the sun was Yang, facing away was Yin. Later, people abstracted everything into the concept of "Yin and Yang." The Yin-Yang theory embodies the natural principles of opposition and unity, mutual reliance, mutual restraint, transformation, and infinite divisibility. Everything follows these principles, and "one Yin, one Yang constitutes the Dao." Everything in nature is a result of the mutual push and sway of Yin and Yang. In this stratagem, Yin refers to secrecy and concealment, while Yang refers to openness and exposure. That is to say, secrets are often hidden within the open, not in opposition to the open. What is most open often hides the most secrets.
② "Tai" means extreme or supreme. "The Sun and the Moon." In ancient times, the Sun referred to the sun, while the Moon referred to the moon. "The Sun and the Moon" originally meant the Sun setting below the horizon and the Moon rising, later extending to mean the rise of Yin from the extreme Yang, similar to the meaning above.
Translation
When precautions are extremely thorough and meticulous, one may easily become complacent and lose vigilance, thus failing to suspect the most common occurrences. Yin stratagems can be used within Yang affairs—they are not the enemy of Yang affairs. The most Yang matters are often inseparable from the most Yin matters. Hidden stratagems should not be carried out in secret times or secluded places. For example, thieves operating at midnight or killers in secluded alleys are foolish and vulgar acts—such are not the deeds of a strategist.
Wisdom Insight
This stratagem's name originates from The Yongle Encyclopedia: The Story of Xu Renhui's Expedition to Liaodong. It is said that in the 17th year of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan reign in the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin personally led a 300,000-strong army to campaign in Dongling. One day, as the grand army advanced eastward to the coast, Li Shimin saw only endless white waves and a vast, boundless sea before him, realizing the sea was too treacherous to cross and grew anxious. Seeing this, the general Xu Renhui devised a plan: he invited the emperor into a colorful camp near the shore and ordered the officials to drink and celebrate. Soon, music and wine filled the air, and the emperor forgot his worries, immersing himself in joy.
As the emperor was enjoying the wine, he suddenly heard the sound of surging waves outside the tent and quickly lifted the curtain to look outside. To his astonishment, he discovered that he and the entire army were crossing the sea on boats and were about to reach the other side. It turned out that Xu Renhui was afraid the emperor might give up the campaign due to the sea's barrier and secretly directed the army to cross. Because the emperor was the "Son of Heaven," this was called "Crossing the Sea While Concealing It from Heaven."
The literal meaning of "Crossing the Sea While Concealing It from Heaven" is to lull the enemy through preparation, striking unexpectedly where everyone assumes it is foolproof. In the story above, Xu Renhui exploited Li Shimin's common knowledge that ordinary people live on land, his vigilance, misled him, dispelled his fears and doubts, and sent him across the vast sea.
"The Sun and the Moon" is the of this stratagem. Incidentally, the entire Thirty-Six Stratagems is derived from the I Ching.