Art of War 1.19
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Laying Plans 計篇
故能而示之不能用而示之不用近而示之遠遠而示之近
Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Character glossary
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 示shìaltar; ceremony; to show, to demonstrate
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 近jìnto approach; near, close; intimate
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 34
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 25
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Art of War 9.18
- Mencius 7B.32
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.