Art of War 12.3
The Art of War (孫子兵法), The Attack By Fire 火攻篇
發火有時起火有日
There is a proper season for making attacks with fire, and special days for starting a conflagration.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
A fire must not be begun 妄 “recklessly” or 偶然 “at haphazard.”
Character glossary
- 發fāto issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
- 火huǒfire, flame; to burn; anger, rage
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 時shítime, season; period, era, age
- 起qǐto begin, to initiate; to rise, to stand
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.