Art of War 7.28
The Art of War (孫子兵法), Manœuvring 軍爭篇
是故朝氣銳晝氣惰暮氣歸
Now a soldier’s spirit is keenest in the morning;
by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is bent only on returning to camp.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
Always provided, I suppose, that he has had breakfast. At the battle of the Trebia, the Romans were foolishly allowed to fight fasting, whereas Hannibal’s men had breakfasted at their leisure. See Livy, XXI, liv. 8, lv. 1 and 8.
Character glossary
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 朝cháoto face; direct, facing; dynasty; mornin
- 氣qìair, gas; steam, vapor; anger
- 銳ruìsharp, pointed; keen, acute
- 晝zhòudaytime, daylight
- 惰duòlazy, idle, indolent; careless
- 暮mùdusk, evening, sunset; ending
- 歸guīto return, to go back; to return to, to
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.