Chapter 6 · Emptiness & Fullness · 虛實

Passage 6-17

故形兵之極, 至於無形; 無形, 則深間不能窺, 智者不能謀.

The ultimate in deployment is to be formless. Formless, even deep spies cannot detect you, and the wisest cannot plot against you.

"Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground." Strategy as adaptive flow — the antithesis of rigid doctrine.

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 6-17:

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... Shifting Position Unpredictably Passage 11-25 易其事, 革其謀, 使人無識, 易其居, 迂其途, 使人不得... Exploiting Unpreparedness Passage 1-14 攻其無備, 出其不意, 此兵家之勝, 不可先傳也. Five Types of Spies Passage 13-4 故用間有五: 有鄕間, 有內間, 有反間, 有死間, 有生間... Sealing Enemy's Plans Passage 11-36 先其所愛, 微與之期, 賤墨隨敵, 以決戰事. 是故始如處女... Manipulating Appearances Passage 1-13 利而誘之, 亂而取之, 實而備之, 强而避之, 怒而橈之, ...

More from Chapter 6: Emptiness & Fullness (虛實)

Passage 6-1: Sun Tzu said: Generally, he who occupies the battlefield first and awaits the en... 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 6-18: 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...