The art of war by Sun Tzu chapter 1 LAYING PLANS
- 4 years ago
#audio_books #vikas_jagtap #The_art_of_war_by_Sun_Tzu chapter 1 #LAYING_PLANS [Ts‘ao Kung, in defining the meaning of the Chinese for the title of this chapter, says it
refers to the deliberations in the temple selected by the general for his temporary use,
or as we should say, in his tent. See. ss. 26.]
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it
is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into
account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions
obtaining in the field.
4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Com-
mander; (5) Method and discipline.
[It appears from what follows that Sun Tzu means by "Moral Law" a prin-
ciple of harmony, not unlike the Tao of Lao Tzu in its moral aspect. One
might be tempted to render it by "morale," were it not considered as an
attribute of the ruler in ss. 13.]
5., 6. The MORAL LAW causes the people to be in complete accord with their
ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by
any danger.
[Tu Yu quotes Wang Tzu as saying: "Without constant practice, the officers
will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant
practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at
hand."]
7. HEAVEN signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.
[The commentators, I think, make an unnecessary mystery of two words
here. Meng Shih refers to "the hard and the soft, waxing and waning" ofHeaven. Wang Hsi, however, may be right in saying that what is meant
is "the general economy of Heaven," including the five elements, the four
seasons, wind and clouds, and other phenomena.]
refers to the deliberations in the temple selected by the general for his temporary use,
or as we should say, in his tent. See. ss. 26.]
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it
is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into
account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions
obtaining in the field.
4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Com-
mander; (5) Method and discipline.
[It appears from what follows that Sun Tzu means by "Moral Law" a prin-
ciple of harmony, not unlike the Tao of Lao Tzu in its moral aspect. One
might be tempted to render it by "morale," were it not considered as an
attribute of the ruler in ss. 13.]
5., 6. The MORAL LAW causes the people to be in complete accord with their
ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by
any danger.
[Tu Yu quotes Wang Tzu as saying: "Without constant practice, the officers
will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant
practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at
hand."]
7. HEAVEN signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.
[The commentators, I think, make an unnecessary mystery of two words
here. Meng Shih refers to "the hard and the soft, waxing and waning" ofHeaven. Wang Hsi, however, may be right in saying that what is meant
is "the general economy of Heaven," including the five elements, the four
seasons, wind and clouds, and other phenomena.]