《三十六计》全套英文表达

《孙子兵法》三十六计（Thirty-Six Stratagems）乃兵家之经典著作。

语源于南北朝，成书于明清，是汉民族悠久文化遗产之一。

古人学好三十六计，带兵打胜券在握。

现代人习之，在商场职场生活领域中，古为今用。

而三十六计在外国也极受欢迎……

那么我们就一起看看三十六计的英文表达吧！

第一套 胜战计
Chapter 1: Winning Stratagems

第一计 瞒天过海
crossing the sea under camouflage

▌原文

备周则意怠；常见则不疑。阴在阳之内，不在阳之对。太阳，太阴。

▌英文注释

Mask your real goals, by using the ruse of a fake goal, until the real goal is achieved. Tactically, this is known as an 'open feint': in front of everyone, you point west, when your goal is actually in the east.

第二计 围魏救赵
relieving the state of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei

▌原文

共敌不如分敌；敌阳不如敌阴。

▌英文注释

When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead. The idea here is to avoid a head-on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at his weakness elsewhere. This will force the strong enemy to retreat in order to support his weakness. Battling against the now tired and low-morale enemy will give a much higher chance of success.

第三计 借刀杀人
killing someone with a borrowed knife

▌原文

敌已明，友示定，引友杀敌，不自出力，以《损》推演。

▌英文注释

When you do not have the means to attack your enemy directly, then attack using the strength of another. Trick an ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him.

第四计 以逸待劳
waiting at one's ease for the exhausted enemy

▌原文

困敌之势，不以战；损刚益柔。

▌英文注释

It is an advantage to choose the time and place for battle. In this way you know when and where the battle will take place, while your enemy does not. Encourage your enemy to expend his energy in futile quests while you conserve your strength. When he is exhausted and confused, you attack with energy and purpose.

第五计 趁火打劫
plundering a burning house

▌原文

敌之害大，就势取利，刚决柔也。

▌英文注释

When a country is beset by internal conflicts, when disease and famine ravage the population, when corruption and crime are rampant, then it will be unable to deal with an outside threat. This is the time to attack.

第六计 声东击西
making a feint to the east and attacking in the west

▌原文

敌志乱萃，不虞，坤下兑上之象。利其不自主而取之。

▌英文注释

In any battle the element of surprise can provide an overwhelming advantage. Even when face to face with an enemy, surprise can still be employed by attacking where he least expects it. To do this you must create an expectation in the enemy's mind through the use of a feint.

第二套 敌战计
Chapter 2: Enemy Dealing Stratagems

第七计 无中生有
creating something out of nothing

▌原文

诳也，非诳也，实其所诳也。少阴，太阴，太阳。

▌英文注释

You use the same feint twice. Having reacted to the first and often the second feint as well, the enemy will be hesitant to react to a third feint. Therefore the third feint is the actual attack catching your enemy with his guard down.

第八计 暗渡陈仓
advancing secretly by an unknown path

▌原文

示之以动，利其静而有主，“益动而巽”。

▌英文注释

Deceive the enemy with an obvious approach that will take a very long time, while surprising him by taking a shortcut and sneak up to him. As the enemy concentrates on the decoy, he will miss you sneaking up to him.

第九计 隔岸观火
watching a fire from the other side of the river

▌原文

阳乖序乱，阴以待逆。暴戾恣睢，其势自毙。顺以动豫，豫顺以动。

▌英文注释

Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves. Then go in at full strength and pick up the pieces.

第十计 笑里藏刀
covering the dagger with a smile

▌原文

信而安之，阴以图之。备而后动，勿使有变。刚中柔外也。

▌英文注释

Charm and ingratiate yourself with your enemy. When you have gained his trust, move against him in secret.

第十一计 李代桃僵
palming off substitute for the real thing

▌原文

势必有损，损阴以益阳。

▌英文注释

There are circumstances in which you must sacrifice short-term objectives in order to gain the long-term goal. This is the scapegoat strategy whereby someone else suffers the consequences so that the rest do not.

第十二计 顺手牵羊
picking up something in passing

▌原文

微隙在所必乘，微利在所必得。少阴，少阳。

▌英文注释

While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.

第三套：攻战计
Chapter 3: Attacking Stratagems

第十三计 打草惊蛇
beating the grass to frighten the snake

▌原文

疑以叩实，察而后动。复者，阴之媒也。

▌英文注释

Do something unaimed, but spectacular ("hitting the grass") to provoke a response of the enemy ("startle the snake"), thereby giving away his plans or position, or just taunt him.

Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking.

More widely used as "[Do not] startle the snake by hitting the grass". An imprudent act will give your position or intentions away to the enemy.

第十四计 借尸还魂
resurrecting a dead soul by borrowing a corpse

▌原文

有用者，不可借；不能用者，求借。借不能用者而用之。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。

▌英文注释

Take an institution, a technology, a method, or even an ideology that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose.

Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or bring to life old ideas, customs, or traditions and reinterpret them to fit your purposes.

第十五计 调虎离山
luring the tiger out of his den

▌原文

待天以困之，用人以诱之，往蹇来返。

▌英文注释

Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his position thus separating him from his source of strength.

第十六计 欲擒故纵
letting the enemy off in order to catch him

▌原文

逼则反兵，走则减势。紧随勿迫，累其气力，消其斗志，散而后擒，兵不血刃。需，有孚，光。

▌英文注释

Cornered prey will often mount a final desperate attack. To prevent this you let the enemy believe he still has a chance for freedom.

His will to fight is thus dampened by his desire to escape. When in the end the freedom is proven a falsehood the enemy's morale will be defeated and he will surrender without a fight.

第十七计 抛砖引玉
giving the enemy something to induce him to lose more valuable things

▌原文

类以诱之，击蒙也。

▌英文注释

Bait someone by making him believe he gains something or just make him react to it ("toss out a brick") and obtain something valuable from him in return ("get a jade gem").

第十八计 擒贼擒王
capturing the ringleader first in order to capture all the followers

▌原文

摧其坚，夺其魁，以解其体。龙战于野，其道穷也。

▌英文注释

If the enemy's army is strong but is allied to the commander only by money, superstition or threats, then take aim at the leader.

If the commander falls the rest of the army will disperse or come over to your side.

If, however, they are allied to the leader through loyalty then beware, the army can continue to fight on after his death out of vengeance.