Sun Tzu's 36 Stratagems

Open your mind by taking the literal and translating or transforming the stratagems into your own situations.

Stratagems when in a superior position

• Fool the Emperor and Cross the Sea
• Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao
• Kill with a Borrowed Knife
• Await the Enemy at Your Ease
• Loot a Burning House
• Clamour in the East, Attack in the West

Stratagems for confrontation

• Create Something from Nothing
• Openly Repair the Walkway, Secretly March to Chencang
• Observe the Fire on the Opposite Shore
• Hide your Dagger Behind a Smile
• Let the Palm Tree Wither in Place of the Peach
• Seize the Opportunity to Lead the Sheep Away

Stratagems for attack

• Beat the Grass to Startle the Snake
• Borrow a Corpse for the Soul's Return
• Lure the Tiger Down from the Mountain
• To Catch Something First Let It Go
• Toss Out a Brick to Attract a Jade
• To Catch the Bandits, First Capture Their Leader

Stratagems for confused situations

• Remove the Firewood Under the Cooking Pot
• Fish in Troubled Waters
• Slough Off the Cicada's Shell. (False Appearances Mislead the Enemy)
• Shut the Door to Catch the Thief
• Befriend a Distant State While Attacking a Neighbor
• Obtain Safe Passage to Conquer the Kingdom of Guo

Stratagems for gaining ground

• Replace the Beams and Pillars with Rotten Timber
• Point at the Mulberry and Curse the Locust
• Pretend to be a Pig In Order to Eat The Tiger. (Play Dumb.)
• Cross the River and Destroy the Bridge
• Deck the Tree With Bogus Blossoms
• Make the Host and the Quest Exchange Places

Stratagems for desperate situations

• The beauty trap. (The Tender Trap, Use a Woman to Ensure a Man)
• Empty City
• Let the Enemy's Own Spy Sow Discord in the Enemy Camp. (Use Double Agents)
• Inflict Injury on One's Self to Win the Enemy's Trust
• Chain Together the Enemy's Ships
• Run Away to Fight Another Day. (Escape is the Best Policy)