Chapter 6 · Emptiness & Fullness · 虛實

Passage 6-1

孫子曰, 凡先處戰地而待敵者佚, 後處戰地而趨戰者勞. 故善戰者, 致人而不致於人.

Sun Tzu said: Generally, he who occupies the battlefield first and awaits the enemy is at ease. He who arrives late and rushes into battle is fatigued. The skilled warrior compels the enemy to come while not being compelled himself.

"Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh for the fight." The principle of initiative — dictating the terms of engagement.

What does this passage really mean for modern strategy?

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 6-1:

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 Difficulty of Armed Struggle Passage 7-1 孫子曰: 凡用兵之法, 將受命於君, 合軍聚衆, 交和而舍,... Managing the Many Passage 5-1 孫子曰: 凡治衆如治寡, 分數是也. 鬪衆如鬪寡, 形名是也... Signs of Concealment Passage 9-10 敵近而靜者, 恃其險也. 遠而挑戰者, 欲人之進也. 其所居... Baiting the Enemy Passage 5-8 故善動適者, 形之, 適必從之; 予之, 適必取之; 以利動... 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...

More from Chapter 6: Emptiness & Fullness (虛實)

Passage 6-2: Draw the enemy by presenting advantages; keep him away by presenting obstacles. ... Passage 6-3: Appear where they cannot rush to; strike where they do not expect. March a thous... Passage 6-4: Make your defense impregnable by defending where the enemy cannot attack. The sk... Passage 6-5: Subtle! Subtle!—approaching formlessness. Divine! Divine!—approaching soundlessn... Passage 6-6: Advance irresistibly by striking emptiness. Retreat without pursuit by moving wi... Passage 6-7: When I wish to engage, the enemy cannot avoid battle even behind high walls and ... Passage 6-8: When I wish to avoid battle, I can hold my ground with merely a line drawn on th... Passage 6-9: Make the enemy take shape while I remain formless—then I am concentrated while t... Passage 6-10: When I am many and the enemy is few, and I can strike with many against few, the... Passage 6-11: If the enemy cannot know where I will fight, he must defend everywhere. Defendin... Passage 6-12: If he defends the front, the rear is weak. If he defends the rear, the front is ... Passage 6-13: Being few means preparing against others. Being many means making others prepare... Passage 6-14: Know the ground and the day of battle, and you can march a thousand li to engage... Passage 6-15: By my calculations, though the army of Yue is numerous, what advantage will that... Passage 6-16: By strategizing, discern the enemy’s gains and losses. By provoking action, disc... Passage 6-17: The ultimate in deployment is to be formless. Formless, even deep spies cannot d... Passage 6-18: By adapting to the enemy’s form, I achieve victories the masses cannot comprehen... Passage 6-19: Each victory is not repeated—the response to each form is infinitely adaptable.... Passage 6-20: The form of military operations resembles water. Water’s form avoids heights and... Passage 6-21: Warfare has no constant configuration, just as water has no constant form. One w... Passage 6-22: The five elements have no constant victor; the four seasons have no fixed positi...