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Sanshiliuji 三十六計 "The Thirty-Six Stratagems"

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The oldest form of a collection of stratagems might date during the Southern Dynasties 南朝 empire of (Southern) Qi 南齊. Wang Jingzi is said to be the first Chinese person making use of the stirrup. The profound symbolism and popularity of many of these stragems - with their historical background - made them a useful variety of proverbs for daily life and every possible situation. The modern version dates 1647, shortly after the Manchus had conquered China. The thirty-six stratagems are arranged in six group à six proverbs.
The chapters are:
1.勝戰計 Shengzhanji Stratagems of battles won
2.敵戰計 Dizhanji Stratagems of indecisive battles
3.攻戰計 Gongzhanji Stratagems of offensive battles
4.混戰計 Hunzhanji Stratagems of multiple party battles
5.並戰計 Bingzhanji Stratagems of unification and annection battles
6.敗戰計 Baizhanji Stratagems of battles lost
1.瞞天過海
原文:備周則意怠,常見則不疑.陰在陽之內,不在陽之對.太陽,太陰.
Crossing the sea under camouflage (practise deception)
Original text: He who has taken preparations too much, will become negligent. Oft-repeated events do not awake suspicions. Bright day and openness are a much better camouflage than the night and concealing. To present everything, is to hide everything.
2.圍魏救趙 Relieve the State of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei
原文:共敵不如分敵,敵陽不如敵陰.
Original text: Divide the enemy instead of reinforcing his cohesion. Attack a withdrawing enemy, not a resting one.
3.借刀殺人 Kill somebody by using another person's knife (kill someone through the agency of another)
4.以逸待勞 Wait at one's ease for the fatigued enemy
5.趁火打劫 Plunder a house when it is on fire (profit another's misfortune)
6.聲東擊西 Make faint to the east but attack in the west
7.無中生有 Produce something out of nothing
8.暗渡陳倉 Secretly crossing over to Chencang (pretend to prepare along one path while secretly going along another)
9.隔岸觀火 Watch the fire the other side of the river (showing non-concernedness)
10.笑裡藏刀 Conceal a knife in your smile
11.李代桃僵 The plum dies for the apricot (substitute this for that)
12.順手牽羊 Make off with a sheep in passing by
13.打草驚蛇 Beaten the grass and frighten away the snake
14.借屍還魂 Resurrect in a new guise
15.調虎離山 Lure the tiger out of the mountain
16.欲擒故縱 Let the enemy leave in order to catch him
17.拋磚引玉 Throw a brick to allure a gem
18.擒賊先擒王 Catch the ringleader first in order to capture all his bandit followers
19.釜底抽薪 Take away the firewood under the cauldron (take drastic measures to strike at source of a problem)
20.渾水摸魚 Fish in troubled water (try to take advantage of a disturbed situation to take in profits)
21.金蟬脫殼 Cast off the molted skin (escape unnoticed)
22.關門捉賊 Close the gate to catch the thieves
23.遠交近攻 Befriend distant countries while attacking those nearby
24.假途伐虢 Conquer Hao after obtaining permittance to cross another country (forge neutral alliances)
25.偷樑換柱 Steal the beems and pillars and replace them with rotten timbers
26.指桑罵槐 Revile the locust tree while pointing at the mulberry (scold one person through another)
27.假癡不癲 Pretend madness without loosing the balance
28.上屋抽梯 Take away the ladder when the enemy is in the second floor
29.樹上開花 False flowers on a tree (use decoys)
30.反客為主 Make the guest to the host ("cuckoo's egg strategy")
31.美人計 The stratagem of (making use of) a beautiful woman (as decoy)
32.空城計 The stratagem of (open gates and) an emptied city (with soldiers waiting in ambush)
33.反間計 The stratagem of sowing the seeds of discord (among the enemies)
34.苦肉計 The stratagem of self-mutilation (in order to lure out the enemy)
35.連環計 The stratagem of combining rings (of various stratagems)
36.走為上計 The best stratagem is to run away

Basing on the translation of François Kircher

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