Art of War 11.7
The Art of War (孫子兵法), The Nine Situations 九地篇
入人之地深背城邑多者爲重地
When an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear,
it is serious ground.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
After 多, the T‘ung Tien intercalates the gloss 難以返.
Wang Hsi explains the name by saying that 兵至此者事勢重也 “when an army has reached such a point, its situation is serious.” Li Ch‘üan instances (1) the victorious march of 樂毅 Yo I into the capital of Ch‘i in 284 B.C., and (2) the attack on Ch‘u, six years later, by the Ch‘in general 白起 Po Ch‘i.
Character glossary
- 入rùto enter, to come in; to join
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 深shēndeep, profound; depth
- 背bèiback, backside; to betray, to violate
- 城chéngcastle, city, town; municipality
- 邑yìarea, district, city, state
- 多duōmuch, many, multi-; more than, over
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 重zhòngheavy, weighty; to double, to repeat
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Art of War 11.3
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Mencius 7A.14
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.