This Cardinal recommends to the visitors of my blog to visit his site and read his explainations on the 36 Strategems.
Thirty-six Stratagems is an outstanding military classic because of its emphasis on deception as a military art. It focuses on the use of deception, subterfuge or hidden tactics to achieve military objectives. Various stratagems for different purposes are featured: when commanding superiority, for confrontation and attack, for confusing situations, for gaining ground and for desperate situations. Examples of the use of these stratagems are marvellously explored through characters who exhibit ingenuity, bravery, and even folly and calculated brutality in warfare.
In ancient China the 36 stratagems was used to deceive and sabotage their enemies for victory on battlefields.
The 36 Stratagems, can be applied in the global marketplace from winning over customers to staying agile in a fast-changing business environment.
Here's my grand view on the system:
There are six categories to those 36 Stratagems:
Advantageous Strategies (胜战计)
Opportunistic Strategies (敌战计)
Offensive Strategies (攻战计)
Confusion Strategies (混战计)
Deception Strategies (并战计)
Desperate Strategies (败战计)
A basic description on the six categories of the Thirty Six Strategies and each of the Thirty Six Strategies
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Advantageous Strategies (胜战计)
The "Advantageous Strategies" are used in situations when time and resources are to one's advantage, when there is no need to rush, and detailed planning can be carried out.
Strategy 1 - Act Visible, Think Invisible
Means that you do things that people can see by revealing your actions, but you must hide your intentions. Then you can say things that only a certain people knows; so that you can attack in secret. Then you will be unpredictable and that leads to victory
Strategy 2 - Avoid Strength, Attack WeaknessMeans that you must avoid your enemy's strength when he's too strong, but attack it's weakness. You can win without wasting your power by useless attacks to your enemy. That leads to an easy victory.
Strategy 3 - Defend Direct, Attack IndirectMeans that you have to put much power in defending and also let the enemy knows that. The enemy will think you have all your forces in defending. Then you must also put some power in attacking; but it must be indirect; via somebody else. Then the enemy won't know that that, so that you can attack with a surprise that leads to victory.
Strategy 4 - Weaken Your Enemy, Strengthen Your Army
Means that you first must weaken your enemy by exhausting them via several quests. Then also build up your strength to get ready for an attack with much energy that leads to victory.Strategy 5 - Disorder Your Enemy, Order Your Army
Means that you have to disorder your enemy or wait for disordering by internal conflicts, diseases, corruption and crime. Also get all your troops together and organize them. Then this will be the right time to attack that leads to victory.
Strategy 6 - Surprise Your Enemy To Advantage Your Army
Means that you have to surprise you enemy by attacking him where he least expects it. Your enemy will be greatly surprised and then you will gain a great advantage that leads to victory.
Opportunistic Strategies (敌战计)
The "Opportunistic Strategies" thrive on situations where vulnerabilities can be exploited. The idea is to capitalise on all opportunities so as to gain the advantage.
Strategy 7 - Trick Your Enemy To Attack Surprisely
Means that you have to trick your enemy by 'making something of nothing'. After two times being tricked, the enemy will believe the third time is also a trick. Then you can actually attacking for real on the third time to surprise your enemy and that leads the victory.
Strategy 8 - Weak-Attack Openly, Strong-Attack Secretly
Means that you have to attack on two ways. First is to attack direct, but with less power and second is to attack indirect, but with much power, so that the enemy does not expect that. That will lead him lead into confusion and that leads to your victory.
Strategy 9 - Wait For Exhausting, Prepare For Attacking
Means that you first have to wait for all the players have become exhausted by fighting amongst themselves. Meanwhile build up your own strength. After the players are all exhausted, you will attack with full strength that leads to victory.
Strategy 10 - Gain Trusting To Attack Surprising
Means that you first must do anything to gain your enemy's trust. After that you can turn against him and launch a surprise attack in secret that leads to victory.
Strategy 11 - Sacrifice The Short-Term To Gain The Long-Term
Means that someone or something have to be sacrificed to advance or to rescue the whole army or leader. Sacrificing less important persons or things can, soon or later, lead to an counterattack that leads to victory.
Strategy 12 - Take Possible Chances For Impossible Advances
Means that you always have to be alert and flexible to take any possible chances or opportunities. Then you always will gain advantages for advancing and that leads to victory.
Offensive Strategies (攻战计)
Like the Advantageous Strategies, the "Offensive Strategies" are used in situations when time and resources are not constraining factors. However, these strategies seek to gain victory through direct attack.
Strategy 13 - Test Your Enemy To Reveal His Strategy
Means when you don't know what your enemy is up to, you first must launch a direct but weak attack, to observe the reactions of your enemy and that will reveals his strategy and that leads to victory.
Strategy 14 - Use A Forgotten Strategy To Surprise Originally
Means that you have to re-use a forgotten or unused institution, technology, method or strategy to launch an original surprise attack to your enemy and that leads to victory.
Strategy 15 - Separate Their Power-Source To Fill Your Advantage-Source
Means that you never must attack an strong enemy directly, but first you have to lure him away from his source of strength and then take advantage of your own source of power and then attack your enemy and that leads to victory.
Strategy 16 - Give A Chance To Your Enemy To Give A Chance For Perfect Victory
Means that you first have to give hope to your desperate enemy when they are surrounded and want to launch a final desperate attack. Then the enemy will rather flee than fight on. Then when you again prove that your enemy really can't escape, he will be afraid and will surrender without a fight. Then you will win WITHOUT fighting that leads to the perfect victory.
Strategy 17 - Lure Your Enemy To Trap With Victory
Means that you first have to prepare a trap and lure your enemy into it by using bait. In war the bait is an opportunity to take and in life the bait is sex, wealth and power to have. By using the bait; your enemy will fall into your trap and that leads to victory.
Strategy 18 - Take Out One Main Enemy To Take Out Your Whole Enemy
Means that you first have to take out the leader of your strong enemy. After that; your whole enemy will lose the fighting spirit and will flee or surrender and will defect to your side and that leads to a great victory.
Confusion Strategies (混战计)
The "Confusion Strategies" aim to confuse a pursuing enemy to throw him off his guard. In this way, valuable time can be gained in making one's escape.
Strategy 19 - Attack The Power Source And Victory Is Yours
Means that when you have to fight a too powerful enemy, you first must weaken your enemy by detecting and taking out your enemy's source of power. Their power source will greatly decrease and that leads to your victory.
Strategy 20 - Confuse Your Enemy To Attack Unexpectedly
Means that you have to confuse your enemy first by doing unusual, strange or unexpected things. That will distract your enemy and then you can attack with a surprise and that leads to victory.
Strategy 21 - Create An Illusion To Escape In Confusion
Means that when you are being defeated and you only can escape, then you have to create an illusion to distract your enemy. While their are distracted and confused, you can escape secretly.
Strategy 22 - Close Thoroughly To Capture Completely
Means that when you want to capture or defeat your whole enemy, you first must prevent all opportunities for your enemy to escape and then you will be ensured you won't have any future dangers or chases. Now you can both capture or defeat all your enemies that leads to victory.
Strategy 23 - Befriend A Far Enemy To Win From One Nearby
Means that a nearby but less strong enemy is more a danger than a far but strong enemy. So you have to befriend your far enemy to attack your close enemy and that leads to victory.
Strategy 24 - Borrow From The Enemy To Win From Your Enemy
Means that you first have to borrow resources of an ally/enemy to win from an enemy. Then after that enemy is defeated you will use those same resources you lent before and attack it's owners. You will surprise the enemy and that leads to victory.
Deception is commonly used in war to create advantages for oneself, and to handicap the enemy. Such strategies are designed to mislead the enemy.
Strategy 25 - Disrupt Your Enemy To Attack Easily
Means that you have to disrupt or change your enemy's formation, methods and rules. That will disorder your enemy by preventing their strong common links and then you can attack easily and that leads to victory
Strategy 26 - Say Something, But Mean Another Thing
Means that you say things with OTHER meanings than you said. Then your enemy cannot detect your plans so that you can attack secretly and that leads to victory.
Strategy 27 - Lure Underestimating To Attack Surprising
Means that you will hide behind a mask that creates an illusion of a fool, a drunk or a madman. This causes your enemy will underestimate your ability. Then while your enemy will be overconfident; you can attack with a surprise that leads to victory.
Strategy 28 - Lure To The Weakly To Attack Easily
Means that you will lure your enemy into a terrain where he will be weak. Then he must fight both his disadvantage AND your army. Then you can attack easily that leads to victory.
Strategy 29 - Disguise Your Army To Confuse Your Enemy
Means that you will disguise by making illusions or wonders. Then your enemy will be confused. You will attack and that leads to victory.
Strategy 30 - Attack The Inside To Defeat The Outside
Means that you first have to explore and understand the internal camp of your enemy and then you can discover weakness. When the time is right, you can strike immediately at the source strength. If you give an critical attack to the inside, you will disorder and confuse the outside. Then your whole army can attack the outside and that leads to victory.
In a desperate situation, one may have to resort to unconventional and unorthodox methods and means. As such, some of these strategies can be quite dramatic and "tragic". However, when used appropriately, such strategies can be very effective.
Strategy 31 - Use The Beauty To Discord The Enemy
Means that you will send a beautiful woman to your enemy to cause discord between your enemies. Your male enemies will be distracted and the female enemies will be jealous. Now you can take advantage of this disordered situation by attacking and that leads to victory.
Strategy 32 - Act As Casually To Prevent Your Enemy
Means that when your enemy is too strong, is superior in numbers and can overrun you at any moment; you have to act as normally. When your enemy arrives and see how casual and unprepared you are, he will think you have something up to. Then your enemy won't risk and will retreat. That leads to a victorious escape.
Strategy 33 - Discord Your Enemy To Undermine His Ability
Means that you will undermine your enemy's ability by causing discord between your enemy's friends, allies, family, soldiers, commanders, advisors and population. While your enemy is too busy with making up the conflicts, his ability to defend or to attack will greatly decrease. Then you will attack and that leads to victory.
Strategy 34 - Pretend Injured To Strike Surprised
Means that you will pretend you are injured by your enemy or another enemy. When your enemy really know and believe that, he will be relaxed. This is the time to attack by surprising your enemy and that leads to victory.
Strategy 35 - Combine Tactically To Create Superiority
Strategy 36 - When You Are Being Defeating, Command For Retreating
Means that if all your strategies and plans fails and it's obvious that you are losing; then commanding for retreat and regroup is the best option. When you are safe, you can always regroup and think another strategy or plan to revenge and finish the battle to gain victory at last.
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The secret to mastering the "36" is being aware of what situations are you at:
* If you're in a victorious situation, ask yourself if you have a "Limited Advantage" situation,
an "Opportunistic Strategic" situation or an "Superior Strategic" situation?
* If you're in a disadvantageous situation, ask yourself if you have a "Confused" situation,
an "Deceptive" situation or an "Desperate" situation?
If you are in a disadvantegous situation, focus on getting to an "Advantegous" situation.
If you're in a victorious situation, focus on getting to "Superior Strategic" situation where you can create a tactical situation that influences the opposition to self destruct.
More on this topic later.
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One secret of mastering the 36 Strategems is based on the following song:
Six multiplied by six is 36. The word "calculation" (数) conceals another word, namely "strategy" (术). In the application of a strategy, careful calculation is required. Once one is able to calculate the pattern of how situations develop, he will find the required strategy. A strategy cannot be detached from an objective assessment of a situation. It cannot work by subjective imagination.
六六三十六,数中有术,术中有数。
阴阳变理，机在其中。机不可设，设则不中。
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