Art of War 11.27
The Art of War (孫子兵法), The Nine Situations 九地篇
吾士無餘財非惡貨也無餘命非惡壽也
If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity.
Lionel Giles's notes
Chang Yü has the best note on this passage: 貨與壽人之所愛也所以燒擲財寳割棄性命者非憎惡之也不得已也 “Wealth and long life are things for which all men have a natural inclination. Hence, if they burn or fling away valuables, and sacrifice their own lives, it is not that they dislike them, but simply that they have no choice.” Sun Tzŭ is slyly insinuating that, as soldiers are but human, it is for the general to see that temptations to shirk fighting and grow rich are not thrown in their way. Capt. Calthrop, mistaking 惡 for the adjective, has: “not because money is a bad thing ... not because long life is evil.”
Character glossary
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 士shìscholar, gentleman; soldier
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 餘yúsurplus, remainder, excess
- 財cáiriches, wealth, valuables
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 貨huòproducts, merchandise; goods, commoditie
- 也yěalso, too
- 命mìnglife; destiny, fate, luck; an order, ins
- 壽shòuold age, longevity; lifespan
Passages with shared wording
- The Great Learning Passage 15
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Art of War 2.16
- Mencius 2A.6
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Mencius 3B.3
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.