Planning Attacks cover

Planning Attacks

Rating 4.9
Word count
597 words
Chapters
6

Tags

Summary

This is the third chapter of The Art of War. It focuses on attacking cities through strategy—that is, not relying solely on force, but using various means to make the defending enemy surrender.

Editor's review

As the third of the thirteen chapters of The Art of War, "Attack by Stratagem" centers on taking a city by intelligence rather than by sheer force—using every means to bring the defenders to submission. This book presents that chapter on its own so readers can study this classic passage closely. Its value lies in capturing Sun Tzu's core idea of "subduing the enemy without fighting"; concise in length, it serves well as an entry point to military strategy. As you read, note the discussion of the levels of strategy, force comparison, and judgments of victory and defeat, and see how the ancients weighed cost against effect. Because the content is highly condensed, reading it alone can leave you at the surface; it is best understood alongside the overall framework of the full work. On the whole, this is a classical military text suited to quiet, careful reading and repeated revisiting, with some value for cultivating strategic thinking.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Classical enthusiasts who want to study a single chapter of The Art of War in depth
  • Readers interested in the idea of "subduing the enemy without fighting"
  • Readers who hope to cultivate strategic thinking through a short text

Not a good fit for

  • Readers seeking modern business-war cases and hands-on methodology
  • Casual readers who prefer long narratives or popular stories

Reading tips

  1. Read the original text first, then the commentary, comparing sentence by sentence rather than memorizing conclusions without grasping the original meaning.
  2. Compare this chapter with other chapters of The Art of War to understand its place in the whole book.
  3. After reading, try restating the logic of "taking a city by stratagem" in your own words to test your understanding.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 正文一
  3. 正文二
  4. 正文三
  5. 正文四
  6. 正文五

FAQ

Where does "Attack by Stratagem" rank in The Art of War?
"Attack by Stratagem" is the third of the thirteen chapters of The Art of War; it mainly discusses taking a city by intelligence and subduing the defenders without relying solely on force.
Would reading this chapter alone be too one-sided?
The chapter is concise and focused, so reading it alone works as an entry point; but it is best understood together with other chapters of The Art of War to grasp its place in the book's overall strategic system.
Does this book include analysis of modern cases?
The available information indicates that this book centers on the text of "Attack by Stratagem" and leans toward presenting classical military thought; it is not stated to include modern business or management cases, so readers should not expect a casebook.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.

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