Passage 1-1
孫子曰: 兵者, 國之大事, 死生之地, 存亡之道, 不可不察也.
Sun Tzu said: War is a matter of vital importance to the state—the province of life and death, the path to survival or extinction. It demands the most thorough examination.
The opening declaration of Sun Tzu's Art of War — strategy as a matter of survival. This passage establishes that strategic competition is not optional but existential.
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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 1-1:
The Supreme Art
Passage 3-2
全旅爲上, 破旅次之, 全卒爲上, 破卒次之, 全伍爲上, ...
No Profit, No Move
Passage 12-7
夫戰勝攻取, 而不修其功者凶, 命曰費留. 故曰: 明主慮之...
Win First, Then Fight
Passage 4-9
故善戰者, 立於不敗之地, 而不失敵之敗也. 是故勝兵先勝,...
The Five Elements of War
Passage 4-10
善用兵者, 修道而保法, 故能爲勝敗之政.
Surrounded: Use Stratagems
Passage 11-17
是故, 其兵不修而戒, 不求而得, 不約而親, 不令而信, ...
Five Conditions of Victory
Passage 3-12
故知勝有五: 知可以戰與不可以戰者勝. 識衆寡之用者勝. 上...