孫武 By Sun Tzu
Translated by Lionel Giles
始計第一
Laying Plans
孫子曰:兵者,國之大事,死生之地,存亡之道,不可不察也。
Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
故經之以五事,校之以計,而索其情:一曰道,二曰天,三曰地,四曰將,五曰法。
The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
道者,令民於上同意,可與之死,可與之生,而不危也;
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
天者,陰陽、寒暑、時制也;
Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.