Art of War 3.10
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Attack By Stratagem 謀攻篇
故小敵之堅大敵之擒也
Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
In other words: “C’est magnifique; mais ce n’est pas la guerre.”
Character glossary
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 敵díenemy, foe, rival; to match; to resist
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 堅jiānhard, strong; firm, resolute
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 擒qínto arrest, to capture, to seize
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Mencius 1A.5
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Art of War 2.16
- Art of War 4.1
- Art of War 4.14
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.