"Enter for a new line does not need to be translated, return as it is, all other Chinese must be translated into English: Sun Tzu Teaches Deception -- The Artful Use of Deception in the Art of War

Author: Shi Zhihua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: How could Zhang Zhizao in the story instantly recognize the old con artist? It was precisely because he had the awareness of guarding against the "deceptive path" and the sharp eyes to see through it. When an honest person walks, their stride is natural; they have nothing to hide, nothing to deceive. They are genuine, and their walk is effortless. However, when a thief enters, they do so in a different manner; when a liar appears, they do so in a different way. If you must act secretly, then look at yourself—you'll say everything is different, even when you walk, you're hiding something, your stomach is twitching, you're alert, your eyes are scanning all around, wondering if someone is watching you, will you be caught? At this moment, your eyes are not normal but strange, your gaze is not sincere but cunning. Your body's movements—your body language—have already painted a more authentic picture of yourself. Zhang Zhizao's sharp eyes to see through the "deceptive path" are just like this. So, how did Zhang Zhizao expose the "deceptive path" and overcome it? He used three "discarding gains" actions: , deliberately "taking out silver coins from a small bamboo box and counting them one by one," discarding the "gain" of having silver coins; second, deliberately handing the bamboo box containing silver coins to the shopkeeper for safekeeping, discarding the "gain" of an opportunity to exploit; third, deliberately revealing his father's "having a beard only on the left side" as a characteristic, discarding the "gain" of a secret code. Zhang Zhizao's three "discarding gains" lured the old con artist like turning a screw clockwise three times. The deceived old con artist, without seeking permission or caring about the ridicule of others, personally took the knife and shaved off his right beard completely, rushing into the inn eagerly, reaching out to demand. Just as the old con artist was about to succeed, he never expected that Zhang Zhizao had set up an "attacking the unprepared and striking the unexpected" within the "deceptive path" of the "deceptive path," making the old con artist humiliate himself in public like someone whose pants had fallen down, leaving the readers cheering in admiration like watching a. The disgraced old con artist, unable to get his way and losing his beard, failed in his deception—this was the victory of the just "deceptive path" over the unjust "deceptive technique." The "deceptive path" has no color, it is like water. The "deceptive path" has no color; the person using it determines its color—the one who uses it is "red," the path is called the "right path"; the one who uses it is "black," the path is the "black path." The "deceptive path" is like water—"water flows away from height and toward depth; victory in battle avoids the solid and strikes the hollow." When the "deceptive paths" clash, the "high level" drowns the "low level"; the victory of the "deceptive path" is "yang solid" breaking "yin hollow." Zhang Zhizao's "deceptive path" can be said to be: teaching you to "deceive," not just to trick con artists. The world is the world because it has yin and yang, high and low, black and white, truth and falsehood. Falsehood can become true because some people cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood. Discerning truth and falsehood relies on sharp eyes, and fighting against falsehood and evil requires intelligence. Li Chong in the story is a clever person—not just clever because he has sharp eyes, but even cleverer because he uses the "deceptive path" within intelligence to solve doubts in cases. Let alone Li Chong's sharp eyes in detecting doubts in the face of "conclusive evidence," he even uses the "deceptive path"