Chapter 58 Appendix "Xing Pian" full text

Sun Tzu said: Those who were good fighters in the past were invincible first, and waited for the enemy to be victorious.You can't win by yourself, but you can win by the enemy.Therefore, those who are good at fighting can be invincible, but cannot make the enemy certain to be victorious.Therefore, it is said: Victory can be known, but it cannot be done. Those who are invincible, defend; those who can be victorious, attack.Rules are not enough, but offense is more than enough.Those who are good at defending hide under the Nine Grounds, and those who are good at attacking move above the Nine Heavens, so they can protect themselves and win complete victory.

Seeing victory is not what everyone knows, it is not a good person; winning and the world says it is good, it is not a good person.Therefore, lifting autumn is not for strength, seeing the sun and moon is not for eyesight, and hearing thunder is not for hearing.The so-called good fighters in ancient times are better than those who are easy to win.Therefore, the victory of a good fighter has no name for wisdom and no courage. Therefore, if he defeats a person who is not good at fighting, he will surely win by what he does, and he will win if he has already lost.Therefore, those who are good at fighting stand in an invincible position without losing the enemy's defeat.That is why the victorious soldiers first win and then seek war, and the defeated soldiers first fight and then seek victory.Those who make good use of soldiers practice Taoism and protect the law, so they can govern victory and defeat.

The Art of War: The first is speed, the second is measurement, the third is counting, the fourth is scale, and the fifth is victory.Earth produces degree, degree produces quantity, quantity produces number, number produces scale, and scale produces victory.Therefore, victorious soldiers are called baht by yi, and defeated soldiers are called yi by baht.The victor's warriors are also like those who decide to accumulate water in a stream of thousands of feet.