Sun Tzu Decoded
Chapter 4 · Strategic Positioning · 軍形

Passage 4-2

故善戰者, 能爲不可勝, 不能使敵必可勝.

Thus the skillful warrior can make himself invincible but cannot guarantee the enemy will be vulnerable.

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 4-2:

Striking the Empty Passage 5-3 故善出奇者, 無窮如天地, 不竭如江河, 終而復始, 日月是... Stream Battles Passage 9-6 凡軍好高而惡下, 貴陽而賤陰, 養生而處實, 軍無百疾, 是...

More from Chapter 4: Strategic Positioning (軍形)

Passage 4-1: Sun Tzu said: In ancient times, skillful warriors first made themselves invincib... Passage 4-3: Therefore: Victory can be foreseen but cannot be forced. When you cannot be defe... Passage 4-4: Those skilled in defense conceal themselves as if beneath the nine-layered earth... Passage 4-5: Foreseeing victory that anyone could foresee is not the height of excellence. Wi... Passage 4-6: Lifting an autumn hair requires no great strength. Seeing the sun and moon requi... Passage 4-7: In ancient times, those called skilled in war won victories that were easily won... Passage 4-8: Their victories were inevitable—inevitable because they established the conditio... Passage 4-9: The master warrior takes a position where defeat is impossible and never misses ... Passage 4-10: Those skilled in war cultivate the Way and preserve the laws. Thus they can gove... Passage 4-11: The principles of warfare: 1. Measurement (dù)—assessing dimensions 2. Estimatio... Passage 4-12: A victorious army is like a heavy weight against a light one—a yì against a zhū....