Chapter 6 · Emptiness & Fullness · 虛實

Passage 6-20

夫兵形象水, 水之形, 避高而趨下: 兵之形, 避實而擊虛; 水因地而制流, 兵應敵而制勝.

The form of military operations resembles water. Water’s form avoids heights and flows toward lowland. The form of warfare avoids fullness and strikes emptiness. Water adapts its flow to the terrain; warfare adapts its victory to the enemy.

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 6-20:

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... Provocation as Weakness Passage 9-14 奔走而陳兵車者, 期也. 半進半退者, 誘也. 仗而立者, ... Half-Advances Passage 9-15 汲而先飮者, 渴也. 見利而不進者, 勞也. 鳥集者, 虛也... False Peace Offers Passage 9-17 懸缶不返其舍者, 窮寇也. 諄諄翕翕, 徐與人言者, 失衆也... 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...

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 6-17: 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 6-21: 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...