Art of War 6.11
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Weak Points And Strong 虛實篇
故我欲戰敵雖高壘深溝不得不與我戰者攻其所必救也
If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is to attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
Tu Mu says: “If the enemy is the invading party, we can cut his line of communications and occupy the roads by which he will have to return; if we are the invaders, we may direct our attack against the sovereign himself.” It is clear that Sun Tzŭ, unlike certain generals in the late Boer war, was no believer in frontal attacks.
Character glossary
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 戰zhànwar, fighting, battle
- 敵díenemy, foe, rival; to match; to resist
- 雖suīalthough, even though
- 高gāotall, lofty; high, elevated
- 壘lěirampart; base (in baseball)
- 深shēndeep, profound; depth
- 溝gōuditch, drain, gutter, narrow waterway
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 攻gōngto accuse; to assault; to criticize
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 救jiùaid, help; to rescue, to save
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.