Art of War 7.13
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Manœuvring 軍爭篇
不知山林險阻沮澤之形者不能行軍
We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country — its mountains and forests, its pitfalls
and precipices,
its marshes
and swamps.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
險, defined as 坑塹 (Ts‘ao Kung) or 坑坎 (Chang Yü).
阻, defined as 一高一下.
沮, defined as 水草漸洳者.
澤, defined as 衆水所歸而不流者.
Character glossary
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 山shānmountain, hill, peak
- 林línforest, grove; surname
- 險xiǎnnarrow pass, strategic point
- 阻zǔto hinder, to impede; to obstruct, to op
- 沮jǔto stop, to prevent; dejected, defeated
- 澤zémarsh, swamp; brilliance, grace
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 形xíngform, shape; to appear; to describe; to
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 軍jūnarmy, military; soldiers, troops
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.