Sun Tzu Decoded
Chapter 3 · Strategic Offense · 謀攻

Passage 3-3

是故, 百戰百勝, 非善之善者也; 不戰而屈人之兵, 善之善者也.

Therefore, winning a hundred battles out of a hundred is not the height of excellence. Subduing the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.

Victory without fighting (不戰而屈人之兵) — the apex of Sun Tzu's strategic hierarchy. Not pacifism, but the intelligent application of overwhelming advantage.

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 3-3:

Invincibility First Passage 4-1 孫子曰: 昔之善戰者, 先爲不可勝, 以侍敵之可勝. 不可勝... The Way of Deception Passage 1-12 兵者, 詭道也. 故能而示之不能, 用而示之不用, 近而視之... Formlessness Passage 6-9 故形人而我無形, 則我專而敵分. 我專爲一, 敵分爲十, 是... Full Spectrum Knowledge Passage 10-17 故知兵者, 動而不迷, 擧而不窮. 故曰: 知己知彼, 勝乃... The Shuai-Jan Serpent Passage 11-31 夫霸王之兵, 伐大國則其衆不得聚, 威加於敵, 則其交不得合... Anger Is Not Strategy Passage 12-9 怒可以復喜, 慍可以復悅, 亡國不可以復存, 死者不可以復生...

More from Chapter 3: Strategic Offense (謀攻)

Passage 3-1: Sun Tzu said: In the art of war, the supreme strategy is to preserve the enemy s... Passage 3-2: To subdue a battalion intact is best; to destroy it is inferior. To subdue a com... Passage 3-4: The supreme art of war is: 1. To attack the enemy’s strategy 2. Next, to disrupt... Passage 3-5: Assaulting fortifications is a last resort. Preparing siege towers, battering ra... Passage 3-6: If a general, unable to contain his anger, sends his troops swarming up the wall... Passage 3-7: The master of war subdues the enemy’s forces without battle, takes their fortres... Passage 3-8: He strives to maintain everything intact when contending for dominance. Thus his... Passage 3-9: The principles of deployment: - Ten to one: Encircle - Five to one: Attack - Two... Passage 3-10: The general is the pillar of the state. If this support is complete, the state i... Passage 3-11: There are three ways a ruler brings misfortune upon his army: 1. Ordering advanc... Passage 3-12: Five factors determine victory: 1. Knowing when to fight and when not to fight 2... Passage 3-13: Therefore: - Know the enemy and know yourself—in a hundred battles, never be imp...