Chapter 6 · Emptiness & Fullness · 虛實

Passage 6-5

微乎微乎, 至於無形; 神乎神乎! 至於無聲, 故能爲敵之司命.

Subtle! Subtle!—approaching formlessness. Divine! Divine!—approaching soundlessness. Thus you become the arbiter of the enemy’s fate.

"Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend." Strategic presence at the critical node, forcing reactive behavior.

What does this passage really mean for modern strategy?

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 6-5:

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... 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... Making Victory Inevitable Passage 4-4 善守者, 藏於九地之下; 善攻者, 動於九天之上, 故能自保... Win First, Then Fight Passage 4-9 故善戰者, 立於不敗之地, 而不失敵之敗也. 是故勝兵先勝,... The Five Elements of War Passage 4-10 善用兵者, 修道而保法, 故能爲勝敗之政.

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 6-6: 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...