Art of War 5.8
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Energy 埶篇
色不過五五色之變不可勝觀也
There are not more than five primary colours,
yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever be seen.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
靑黃赤白黑 blue, yellow, red, white and black.
Character glossary
- 色sècolor, tint, hue, shade; beauty, form; s
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 五wǔfive; surname
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 變biànto change, to transform, to alter; rebel
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 勝shèngvictory; to excel, to truimph
- 觀guānto observe, to spectate; appearance, vie
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Art of War 5.7
- Art of War 5.9
- Art of War 5.10
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Zhuangzi Horses' Hoofs
- Zhuangzi The Secret of Life
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.