Art of War 4.14
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Tactical Dispositions 形篇
故善戰者立於不敗之地而不失敵之敗也
Hence the skilful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
A 不可爲之計 “counsel of perfection,” as Tu Mu truly observes. 地 need not be confined strictly to the actual ground occupied by the troops. It includes all the arrangements and preparations which a wise general will make to increase the safety of his army.
Character glossary
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 戰zhànwar, fighting, battle
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 立lìto stand; to establish, to set up
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 敗bàifailure; to decline, to fail, to suffer
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 失shīto lose; to make a mistake, to neglect
- 敵díenemy, foe, rival; to match; to resist
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.