Art of War 11.48
The Art of War (孫子兵法), The Nine Situations 九地篇
交地吾將謹其守衢地吾將固其結
On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye on my defences.
On ground of intersecting highways, I would consolidate my alliances.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
As Wang Hsi says, 懼襲我也 “fearing a surprise attack.” The T‘ung Tien reads here 固其結 (see next sentence).
The T‘ung Tien reads 謹其市, which Tu Yu explains as “watching the market towns,” 變事之端 “the hotbeds of revolution.” Capt. Calthrop translates 固其結 by the same words as 合交 in § 12: “cultivate intercourse.”
Character glossary
- 交jiāoto connect; to deliver, to exchange; to
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 謹jǐnprudent, cautious, attentive
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 守shǒuto defend, to guard, to protect; to cons
- 衢qúhighway; thoroughfare, intersection
- 固gùto solidify; strength
- 結jiéknot, tie; to connect, to join
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Art of War 11.1
- Art of War 11.12
- Art of War 13.20
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Art of War 11.5
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.