Art of War 11.34
The Art of War (孫子兵法), The Nine Situations 九地篇
故善用兵者攜手若使一人不得已也
Thus the skilful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
Tu Mu says: 喩易也 “The simile has reference to the ease with which he does it.” 不得已 means that he makes it impossible for his troops to do otherwise than obey. Chang Yü quotes a jingle, to be found in Wu Tzŭ, ch. 4: 將之所揮、莫不從移、將之所指、莫不前死.
Character glossary
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 兵bīngsoldier; troops, an army; warlike
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 攜xiéto carry, to lead, to take by the hand
- 手shǒuhand
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 人rénman, person; people
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.