Art of War 9.25
The Art of War (孫子兵法), The Army On The March 行軍篇
輕車先出居其側者陳也
When the light chariots
come out first and take up a position on the wings, it is a sign that the enemy is forming for battle.
Lionel Giles (1910), Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War (1910), with Giles' notes — public domain.
Lionel Giles's notes
The same, according to Tu Yu, as the 馳車 of II. § 1.
The T‘ung Tien omits 出.
Character glossary
- 輕qīnglight, gentle; simple, easy
- 車chēcart, vehicle; to move in a cart
- 先xiānfirst, former, previous
- 出chūto go out, to send out; stand; produce
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 側cèside; to slant, to lean, to incline
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 陳chénto display, to exhibit; to plead; surnam
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- Analects 16.13
- Hexagram 38
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi Transcendental Bliss
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.