Art of War 7.21
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Manœuvring 軍爭篇
懸權而動
Ponder and deliberate
before you make a move.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
Note that both these words, like the Chinese 懸權, are really metaphors derived from the use of scales.
Chang Yü quotes 尉繚子 as saying that we must not break camp until we have gauged the resisting power of the enemy and the cleverness of the opposing general. Cf. the “seven comparisons” in I. § 13. Capt. Calthrop omits this sentence.
Character glossary
- 懸xuánto hang, to hoist, to suspend; hung
- 權quánauthority, power, right
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
Passages with shared wording
- Art of War 3.15
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Art of War 11.17
- Art of War 12.19
- Art of War 13.27
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.