Bilingual Sage Wisdom 圣贤智慧|孙子兵法之⑥：虚实篇 Weak Points and Strong

虚实篇 Weak Points and Strong

【原文】

孙子曰：凡先处战地而待敌者佚，后处战地而趋战者劳。故善战者，致人而不致于人。能使敌人自至者，利之也；能使敌人不得至者，害之也。故敌佚能劳之，饱能饥之，安能动之。出其所不趋，趋其所不意。行千里而不劳者，行于无人之地也。攻而必取者，攻其所不守也；守而必固者，守其所不攻也。故善攻者，敌不知其所守；善守者，敌不知其所攻。

微乎微乎，至于无形；神乎神乎，至于无声，故能为敌之司命。进而不可御者，冲其虚也；退而不可追者，速而不可及也。故我欲战，敌虽高垒深沟，不得不与我战者，攻其所必救也。我不欲战，画地而守之，敌不得与我战者，乖其所之也。

故形人而我无形，则我专而敌分。我专为一，敌分为十，是以十攻其一也，则我众而敌寡，能以众击寡者，则吾之所与战者，约矣。吾所与战之地不可知，不可知，则敌所备者多。敌所备者多，则吾所与战者，寡矣。

故备前则后寡，备后则前寡，备左则右寡，备右则左寡，无所不备，则无所不寡。寡者，备人者也；众者，使人备己者也。故知战之地，知战之日，则可千里而会战；不知战地，不知战日，则左不能救右，右不能救左，前不能救后，后不能救前，而况远者数十里，近者数里乎？以吾度之，越人之兵虽多，亦奚益于胜哉？

故曰：胜可为也。敌虽众，可使无斗。故策之而知得失之计，作之而知动静之理，形之而知死生之地，角之而知有余不足之处。故形兵之极，至于无形。无形，则深间不能窥，智者不能谋。因形而措胜于众，众不能知；人皆知我所以胜之形，而莫知吾所以制胜之形，故其战胜不复，而应形于无穷。

夫兵形象水，水之形避高而趋下，兵之形避实而击虚。水因地而制流，兵因敌而制胜。故兵无常势，水无常形，能因敌变化而取胜者，谓之神。故五行无常胜，四时无常位，日有短长，月有死生。

【译文】

孙子说：凡是先占据战场等待敌人到来的就主动安逸(有时间得到休息)。后到战场仓促应战的就疲劳被动。因此，善于指挥作战的人，能够调动对方而不被对方调动。能使敌人自动进入我们预定地域(包围圈)，是用小利引诱他的结果；不能使敌人到达预定地域的，是制造困难阻止他的结果。因此，敌人休息的时候，就要干扰他，使他不能休息，使他疲劳；敌人粮食充足的时候，要想办法(夺取他们的粮食)使他们饥饿；敌人驻扎安稳，要想办法让他们转移，让他立不住脚跟。向敌人不设防的地方进军，向敌人预料不到的方向前进；行军千里而不疲劳的，是因为走的是没有敌人阻碍的地区。进攻而必然会成功的，是因为进攻的是敌人不防守的地方；防御而必然能够稳固的，是因为防守的是敌人不进攻或不容易进攻的地方。因此，善于进攻的，敌人不知道在哪里防守；善于防守的，敌人不知道从哪里进攻。

微妙，非常微妙啊！微妙到看不出踪迹形影；神奇啊，太神奇了！神奇到听不见声息。所以能够调动敌人，这样就能做敌人命运的主宰者。进攻而使敌人不能抵御的，是因为袭击了敌人兵力空虚的地方；撤退而使敌人无法追击的，是因为行动迅速使敌人追赶不上。所以我军想要攻打，敌人虽然有高城墙、坚固堡垒和深沟也不得不出来同我作战，是因为我进攻了敌人所必救的地方；我军不想打，即使画地而守，敌人也无法来同我作战的，是因为我们诱使敌人改变了进攻方向。

因此，能察明敌人情况而不让敌人察明我军情况，这样我军的兵力就可以集中起来而敌人的兵力不得不分散。我军兵力集中在一处，敌人兵力分散在十处，这就是用十倍于敌的兵力去攻击敌人，这样就造成了我众敌寡的有利态势。能够集中优势兵力攻击处在劣势分散的敌人，那么同我军当面作战的敌人就有限。我军所要进攻的地方敌人不知道，不知道，敌人所要防备的地方就增多了。敌人防备的地方一增多，我军所要进攻的敌人就减少了。

因而敌人防备了前面，后面的兵力就会薄弱；防备了后面，前面的兵力就会减少；防备了左边，右边的兵力就薄弱；防备了右边，左边的兵力就薄弱；处处设防，就处处兵力薄弱；兵力薄弱是因为分散兵力防备敌人；兵力雄厚是因为使敌人被动地防备我军。因此，能够预料到和敌人在什么地方打，在什么时间打，就是行军千里也可以同敌人交战；不能预料在什么地方打，在什么时间打，那么仓促应战，左翼就不能救右翼，右翼也不能救左翼；前面不能救后面，后面也不能救前面；何况战场一般范围都在数十里，最近也在数里呢? 在我看来，越国的兵力虽多，对于决定战争的胜负又有什么补益呢?

因此，胜利是可以通过人为努力做到的。敌军虽多，但可以使他(没有战斗力)无法同我较量。所以要策划一下作战的计谋，仔细分析战斗将出现的各种情况，研究这些情况的得与失、利与弊。(交战前)先试探性进攻一下敌军，来了解敌人的活动规律，侦察一下哪里有利，哪里不利，探明敌人兵力布置的强弱多寡。因此，伪装隐蔽行动做到最好的地步，可以达到使人看不出形迹。看不出形迹，即使有深藏的间谍也窥察不出我们的底细，高明的敌人也想不出好办法来对付。即使根据敌人的情况作战而取得的胜利，把胜利的结局告诉众人，众人还是不了解其中奥妙。人们只知道我们用了哪些可以战胜敌人的作战方法，却不知道我们是怎样运用这些作战方法的。因此，每次打胜仗的方法都不重复，而是适应不同的情况，变化无穷地运用。

用兵作战的方式就像水的运动那样，水的流动是避开高处而向下奔流，作战的规律是避开敌人的实处而攻击敌人的弱处。水由于地形而制约着它奔流的方向，作战则根据敌情而制定不同的取胜战术。因此，作战没有固定不变的方法，就像水没有固定的形态一样。能根据敌情的变化而取胜的，就叫作用兵如神。因此，(用兵作战就像)五行的水、火、木、金、土互相制约，互相依存，没有哪一行永远取胜；四个季节相接替相转换，没有哪一个季节固定不变，昼夜有长有短，月亮有圆有缺，永远处于变化之中。

【英文】

Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him. By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near. If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him; if well supplied with food, he can starve him out; if quietly encamped, he can force him to move. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not. You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands. You may advance and be absolutely irresistible, if you make for the enemy's weak points; you may retire and be safe from pursuit if your movements are more rapid than those of the enemy. If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve. If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way.

By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy's must be divided. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted against separate parts of a whole, which means that we shall be many to the enemy's few. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force with a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits. The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points; and his forces being thus distributed in many directions, the numbers we shall have to face at any given point will be proportionately few.

For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling our adversary to make these preparations against us. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order to fight. But if neither time nor place be known, then the left wing will be impotent to succor the right, the right equally impotent to succor the left, the van unable to relieve the rear, or the rear to support the van. How much more so if the furthest portions of the army are anything under a hundred Li apart, and even the nearest are separated by several Li! Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yue exceed our own in number, that shall advantage them nothing in the matter of victory.

I say then that victory can be achieved. Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may prevent him from fighting. Scheme so as to discover his plans and the likelihood of their success. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient. In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them; conceal your dispositions, and you will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisest brains. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's own tactics—that is what the multitude cannot comprehend. All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.

Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain. The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are not always equally predominant; the four seasons make way for each other in turn. There are short days and long; the moon has its periods of waning and waxing.

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