孙子兵法军争篇及中英文对照

军争篇


孙子曰： 凡用兵之法，将受命于君，合军聚众，交和而舍，莫难于军争。军争之难者， 以迂为直，以患为利。 故迂其途，而诱之以利，后人发，先人至，此知迂直之计者也。
故军争为利，军争为危。举军而争利，则不及；委军而争利，则辎重捐。是故卷甲而趋，日夜不处，倍道兼行，百里而争利，则擒三将军，劲者先，疲者后，其法十一而至；五十里而争利，则蹶上将军，其法半至；三十里而争利，则三分之二至。是故军无辎重则亡， 无粮食则亡，无委积则亡。
故不知诸侯之谋者，不能豫交；不知山林、险阻、沮泽之形者，不能行军；不用乡导者，不能得地利。故兵以诈立，以利动，以分和为变者也。故其疾如风，其徐如林，侵掠如火，不动如山，难知如阴，动如雷震。掠乡分众，廓地分利，悬权而动。先知迂直之计者胜，此军争之法也。
《军政》曰：“言不相闻，故为金鼓；视不相见，故为旌旗。”夫金鼓旌旗者，所以一人之耳目也。人既专一，则勇者不得独进，怯者不得独退，此用众之法也。故夜战多火鼓，昼战多旌旗，所以变人之耳目也。
三军可夺气，将军可夺心。是故朝气锐，昼气惰，暮气归。故善用兵者，避其锐气，击其惰归，此治气者也。以治待乱，以静待哗，此治心者也。以近待远，以佚待劳，以饱待饥，此治力者也。无邀正正之旗，无击堂堂之陈，此治变者也。
故用兵之法，高陵勿向，背丘勿逆，佯北勿从，锐卒勿攻，饵兵勿食，归师勿遏，围师遗阙，穷寇勿迫。此用兵之法也。



孙子说：大凡用兵的法则，将帅接受国君的命令，从组织军队、聚集军需到同敌人对阵，没有比两军争利更困难的。两军争利最困难的，是要把迂回的道路变为直路，把困难变为有利。所以要迂回绕道，并用小利引诱敌人，这样就能后于敌人出发，却先于敌人到达要争夺的要地，这就是懂得以迂为直的方法了。
所以两军争利有利，两军争利也有危险。带着全部装备辎重去争利，就不能按时到达预定地域：放下装备辎重去争利，装备辎重就会损失。因此，卷甲急进，昼夜不停，加倍行程强行军，走上百里去争利，三军将领可能被俘，强壮的士卒先到，疲弱的士卒掉队，这种作法只会有十分之一的兵力赶到；走五十里去争利，先头部队的将领会受挫折，这种作法只有半数兵力赶到；走三十里去争利，就只有三分之二的兵力赶到。所以，军队没有辎重就不能生存，没有粮食就不能生存，没有物资储备就不能生存。
所以不了解列国诸侯的战略企图，不能与其结交；不了解山林、

险阻、水路沼泽等地形，不能行军；不使用向导，不能得地利。所以用兵打仗要依靠诡诈多变来取胜，根据是否有利来决定自己的行动，按照分散和集中来变化兵力的使用。所以，军队行动迅速时像疾风，舒缓时像森林，攻击时像烈火，防御时像山岳，荫蔽时像阴天，冲锋时像迅雷。掳掠乡邑，要分兵掠取；扩张领土，要分兵扼守；衡量利害然后决定行动，事先懂得以迂为直的方法就胜利。这就是两军争利的原则。
《军政》说：“因为用语言指挥听不到，所以设置金鼓；用动作指挥看不到，所以设置旌旗。”金鼓旌旗，是统一全军视听的。全军行动既然一致，那么勇敢的就不能单独前进，怯懦的也不能单独后退，这就是指挥大部队作战的方法。所以，夜间作战多用火光和鼓声，白天作战多用旌旗。之所以变换这些信号都是为了适应士卒的视听能力。
对于敌人的军队，可以打击它的士气；对于敌人的将领，可以动摇他的决心。军队初战时士气锐不可当，过一段时间就逐渐懈怠，最后就疲乏衰竭了。所以善于用兵的人，要避开敌人的锐气，等待敌人士气衰竭时再去打击它，这是掌握军队士气的方法。以自己的严整对付敌人的混乱，以自己的镇静对付敌人的轻躁，这是掌握军队心理的方法。以自己部队的接近战场对付敌人的远道而来，以自己部队的安逸休整对付敌人的奔走疲劳，以自己部队的饱食对付敌人的饥饿，这是掌握军队战斗力的方法。不要去拦击旗帜整齐部署周密的敌人，不要去攻击阵容堂皇实力强大的敌人，这是掌握机动变化的方法。
用兵的法则是：敌军占领山地不要去仰攻，敌军背靠高地不要正面迎击，敌军假装败退不要跟踪追击，敌军精锐不要去攻击，诱兵不要去理睬，退回本国的敌军不要去拦截，包围敌人要虚留缺口，濒临绝境的敌人不要过分逼迫。这就是用兵的法则。



Contest to Gain the Initiative
Sunzi said:
Generally in war, the commander receives his mandate from the sovereign. In the process of assembling his troops, mobilizing the population and taking up positions against the enemy, nothing is more difficult than troop maneuvering to gain the initiative in war. What is involved here is to turn the tortuous into the direct and to turn adversity into advantage. You render tile enemy's route tortuous by luring him with inducements of easy gains, and as a result, you may set out after he does but arrive at the contested battlefield before him. To be able to do so is to have understood the method of turning the tortuous into the direct.
Troop maneuvering can be a source of both advantage and disaster. If you throw in the army with all its equipment and supplies to contend for some

advantage, you will not arrive in time; if you abandon them, your equipment and supplies will be lost. For this reason, if an army stores away its amour and sets off in haste, not stopping for days and nights and marching at double speed for 100 li to gain the advantage, some of its generals might be captured by file enemy, its strongest men might get there first but the exhausted ones would lag behind, and in that case, only one tenth of the army would reach the destination. In a forced march of 50 li to contend for advantage, the commander of the advance unit might be defeated, and as a rule only half of the army would reach its destination. But were it to travel 30 li at such a pace to contend for advantage, then two-thirds of the army would reach its destination. It must be remembered that an army which is without its equipment, food and fodder, and material reserves cannot survive.
Unless you know the strategic intentions of the rulers of the neighboring states, you cannot enter into alliances with them; unless you know the lay of the land -- its mountains and forests, its natural hazards, its rivers and marshes -- you cannot maneuver your troops on it; unless you employ local guides, you cannot turn the terrain to your advantage.
Now war is a game of deception. Move when it is advantageous, and disperse and concentrate as necessary to bring about changes in file military situation advantageous to your forces. When the army advances, it is as swift as the wind; when it is immobile, as still as the forest; when it attacks, as destructive as a fire; when it defends, as immovable as the mountain; when it conceals itself, it is as though hidden behind an overcast sky; and when it, strikes, it can be as sudden as a thunder bolt. When plundering the countryside, divide your forces; when extending your territory, distribute them to hold key points. Weigh the pros and cons before moving into action. He who masters the tactics of turning the tortuous into the direct will be the victor. That is the essence of the armed contest.
The Book of Military Administration states: "As oral commands cannot be heard in the din of battle, drums and gongs are used: as signal commands cannot be seen in battle, flags and banners are used." Drums, gongs, flags and banners are used to coordinate the sights and hearing of the troops so that they will act as one, so that the brave will not have to advance alone, nor the timid retreat by themselves. This is the art of directing a large number of troops. That is why in night battles, torches and drums are widely used and in day battles, flags and banners. The alternating use of these signals helps communication with the soldiers.
An entire army can be demoralized and its general deprived of his presence of mind. At the beginning of a campaign, file soldiers' morale is high, after a while it begins to flag and in the end it is gone. Therefore, he who is skilled in war avoids the enemy when file latter's spi

rit is high, and strikes when his spirit drains. This is how he copes with the question of morale. In good order, he awaits a disorderly enemy; with calm, he awaits a clamorous enemy. This is how he copes with self-possession. Being close to the battlefield, he awaits an enemy coming from afar; well rested, he awaits an exhausted enemy; with well-fed troops, he awaits hungry ones. This is how he copes with the question of strength. He does not intercept an enemy whose banners are in perfect array and refrains from attacking a powerful army in full formation. This is how he copes with changing circumstances.
When fighting a battle, do not launch an uphill attack on an enemy who occupies the high ground; do not fight an enemy that has his back to a hill; do not pursue an enemy that feigns retreat; do not attack his crack troops; do not swallow the enemy's bait; do not intercept an enemy returning home; in surrounding the enemy, leave him an escape route; do not press a cornered enemy. This is the art of employing troops.