Art of War 5.20
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Energy 埶篇
以利動之以卒待之
By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
This would appear to be the meaning if we retain 卒, which Mei Yao-ch‘ên explains as 精卒 “men of spirit.” The T‘u Shu reads 本, an emendation suggested by 李靖 Li Ching. The meaning then would be “He lies in wait with the main body of his troops.”.
Character glossary
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 卒zúsoldier; servant; at last, finally
- 待dàito entertain, to receive, to treat; to d
Passages with shared wording
- Art of War 7.15
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
- Zhuangzi On Swords
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 15
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 50
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.