China's 36 stratagems
According to the treatise 36 Stratagems: The Secret Book of the Art of War (Sanshiliu Ji: Miben Bingfa) from circa AD 1500
1. Deceiving the emperor [by inviting him to a house by the sea that is really a disguised ship] and [thus cause him to] cross the sea
2. Besieging [the undefended capital of the country of] Wei to rescue Zhao [the country that has been attacked by the Wei forces]
3. Killing with a borrowed knife
4. Awaiting at one's ease the exhausted enemy
5. Taking advantage of a fire to commit robbery
6. Clamor in the east, attack in the west
7. Creating something out of nothing
8. Openly repairing the [burned wooden] walkway, in secret [before completing the repairs] marching to Chencang [to attack the enemy]
9. Observing the fire burning on the opposite shore [seemingly uninvolved]
10. Hiding the dagger behind a smile
11. Letting the plum tree wither in place of the preach tree
12. [Quick-wittedly] leading away the sheep [that unexpectedly crosses one's path]
13. Beating the grass to startle the snakes
14. Borrowing a corpse for the soul's return
15. Luring the tiger down from the mountain [onto the plain]
16. If one wishes to catch something, one has first to let it go
17. Tossing out a brick to attract jade
18 Catching the bandits by first catching the ringleader
19. Removing the firewood from under the cauldron
20. Clouding the water to catch the fish [robbed of their clear sight]
21. The cicada casts off its skin of gleaming gold
22. Shutting the door to capture the thief
23. Befriending a distant enemy to attack an enemy nearby
24. Borrowing a route [through the country of Yu] for an attack against [its neighboring country of] Guo [in order to capture Yu after the conquest of Guo]
25. Stealing the beams and replacing the pillars [change on the inside, while leaving the façade of the house unchanged]
26. Cursing the acacia, [while] pointing at the mulberry tree
27. Feigning madness without losing the balance
28. Removing the ladder after [the opponent] has climbed onto the roof
29. Decorating a [barren] tree with [artificial] flowers
30. Turning [the role of] the guest into [that of] the host
31. The stratagem of the beautiful man/woman
32. The stratagem of opening the gates [of a city that is unprepared for self-defense]
33. The special agent stratagem /The stratagem of sowing discord
34. The stratagem of the suffering flesh
35. The linking stratagem/Stratagem-linking
36. [When the situation is growing hopeless] running away [in good time] is the best stratagem
Translated by Harro von Senger, in The 36 Stratagems for Business, London 2006, p.3-4
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