Sun Tzu Decoded
Chapter 2 · Waging War · 作戰

Passage 2-2

其用戰也, 勝久則鈍兵挫銳, 攻城則力屈, 久暴師則國用不足.

In conducting war, if victory is long delayed, weapons grow dull and morale declines. Besieging fortifications exhausts strength. Prolonged campaigns drain the state’s resources.

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 2-2:

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More from Chapter 2: Waging War (作戰)

Passage 2-1: Sun Tzu said: The requirements for military operations include: a thousand swift... Passage 2-3: When weapons are dulled, spirits dampened, strength exhausted, and resources dep... Passage 2-4: I have heard of military operations that were clumsy but swift; I have never wit... Passage 2-5: One who does not fully comprehend the harm of warfare cannot fully appreciate it... Passage 2-6: The skillful strategist does not draft twice or transport provisions three times... Passage 2-7: The impoverishment of a state by military operations stems from long-distance tr... Passage 2-8: Proximity to the army causes prices to rise; rising prices exhaust the people’s ... Passage 2-9: The people’s resources are reduced by seventy percent. Public expenditures—for d... Passage 2-10: Therefore, the wise general ensures his army feeds on the enemy. One measure of ... Passage 2-11: Killing the enemy requires anger; seizing their resources requires reward. In ch... Passage 2-12: In war, victory is paramount—not prolongation. The general who understands war i...