Art of War 9.16
The Art of War (孫子兵法), The Army On The March 行軍篇
吾遠之敵近之吾迎之敵背之
While we keep away from such places, we should get the enemy to approach them; while we face them, we should let the enemy have them on his rear.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Character glossary
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 敵díenemy, foe, rival; to match; to resist
- 近jìnto approach; near, close; intimate
- 迎yíngto welcome, to receive, to greet
- 背bèiback, backside; to betray, to violate
Passages with shared wording
- Art of War 9.18
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 30
- Analects 17.25
- Art of War 9.13
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.