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The 36 Stratagems of Business Achieve your objectives through hidden and unconventional strategies and tactics Contents World Economic Summit 2050 in Shanghai The 36 Stratagems 1 3 5 5 5 8 11 11 11 13 14 15 16 16 18 19 20 23 Pictures of Cunning Diagram Caricature Philosophical design of cunning 16 Building Blocks of the Art of Stratagem Stratagem and cunning Stratagem and blindness to cunning Stratagems and the art and knowledge of stratagem Stratagem and strategy Stratagem and deception Stratagem and lie Stratagem and wisdom Stratagem and economics Stratagem and "economic warfare" Stratagem and manager The 36 stratagems and Master Sun (Sun Tzu) A question never posed in Europe, but frequently raised in China 25 viii Contents Carl von Clausewitz's view of cunning: five prejudices challenged 36 Chinese stratagems and their practical application in the West Six categories of cunning techniques Four ethical categories of cunning Stratagem Training Concealment stratagems Stratagem 1: (First translation variant) Crossing the sea while deceiving the heaven/(Second translation variant) Deceiving the emperor [by inviting him to a house by the sea that is really a disguised ship] and [thus causing him to] cross the sea Stratagem 3: Killing with a borrowed knife Stratagem 6: Clamor in the east, attack in the west Stratagem 8: Openly repairing the [burned wooden] walkway, in secret [before completing the repairs] marching to Chencang [to attack the enemy] Stratagem 10: Hiding the dagger behind a smile Stratagem 24: Borrowing a route [through the country of Yu] for an attack against [its neighboring country of] Guo [, in order to capture Yu after the conquest of Guo] Stratagem 25: Stealing the beams and replacing the pillars [on the inside, while leaving the facade of the house unchanged] 27 30 33 35 39 39 39 44 48 51 54 57 60 Contents iX Simulation stratagems Stratagem 7: Creating something out of nothing Stratagem 27: Feigning madness without losing the balance Stratagem 29: Decorating a [barren] tree with [artificial] flowers Stratagem 32: The stratagem of opening the gates [of a city that is unprepared for self-defense] Stratagem 34: The stratagem of the suffering flesh 64 64 71 75 81 84 89 89 95 97 Disclosure stratagems Stratagem 13: Beating the grass to startle the snakes Stratagem 26: Cursing the acacia, [while] pointing at the mulberry tree Exploitation stratagems Stratagem 2: Besieging [the undefended capital of the country of] Wei to rescue Zhao [the country that has been attacked by the Wei forces] 97 Stratagem 4: Awaiting at one's ease the exhausted enemy Stratagem 5: Taking advantage of a conflagration to commit robbery Stratagem 12: [Quick-wittedly] leading away the sheep [that unexpectedly crosses one's path] Stratagem 14: Borrowing a corpse for the soul's return Stratagem 15: Luring the tiger down from the mountain [onto the plain] 101 104 108 117 121 X Contents Stratagem 16: If one wishes to catch something, one has first to let it go Stratagem 17: Tossing out a brick to attract jade Stratagem 18: Catching the bandits by first catching the ringleader Stratagem 19: Removing the firewood from under the cauldron Stratagem 20: Clouding the water to catch the fish [robbed of their clear sight] Stratagem 22: Shutting the door to capture the thief Stratagem 23: Befriending a distant enemy to attack an enemy nearby Stratagem 28: Removing the ladder after [the opponent] has climbed onto the roof Stratagem 30: Turning [the role of] the guest into [that of] the host Stratagem 31: The stratagem of the beautiful man/woman Stratagem 33: The special agent stratagem/The stratagem of sowing discord 124 128 131 136 140 144 147 151 154 160 163 166 166 177 Stratagem-linking Stratagem 35: The linking stratagem/Stratagem-linking Escape stratagems Stratagem 9: Observing the fire burning on the opposite shore [seemingly uninvolved] Stratagem 11: Letting the plum tree wither in place of the peach tree 177 179 Contents Stratagem 21: The cicada casts off its skin of gleaming gold Stratagem 36: [When the situation is growing hopeless,] running away [in good time] is the best stratagem Xi 184 189 195 197 201 Conclusion Abbreviations and Bibliography Notes