Meaning of Sun Tzu win without fighting-Original text, explanations and examples

“Win the war without fighting” is one of the core principles of “Sun Tzu’s Art of War”. It means forcing the opponent to surrender through wisdom, strategy or diplomacy, rather than substantive fighting. This sentence comes from Chapter 3 of The Art of War – – “Attack By Stratagem”.

Regarding the full Chinese version of this sentence, Sun Tzu said this:

“百战百胜，非善之善也；不战而屈人之兵，善之善者也。”
— Sun Tzu

Regarding the English translation of this sentence, I found two versions, one from Lionel Giles and one from Thomas Cleary, both of whom have conducted in-depth research on Chinese culture. Both English versions of Sun Tzu’s Art of War are very popular. Through the translation of the two versions, we can have a more comprehensive understanding of what Sun Tzu really wanted to express.

To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.–Lionel Giles

To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.–Thomas Cleary

Why did Sun Tzu advocate “Win the war without fighting”?

One fact we must admit is that no matter what era, real war is very cruel. War consumes a country’s financial, material, and human resources, causing the country’s development to stagnate and its economy to regress. It will have a huge impact on the lives of the people, and may even cause internal turmoil within the country and affect the country’s political power.

How much manpower and financial resources did it take to fight a war in the days when Sun Tzu lived?

Let us go back 2,500 years ago and calculate with Sun Tzu how many troops, horses and military expenditures are needed to fight a war.

The first thing to do was to prepare the chariots, which in ancient times were equivalent to modern tanks. According to The Art of War, three heavy warriors rode on top of a chariot, and seventy-two light warriors followed behind the chariot, making a total of seventy-five soldiers. And such a chariot needs to be prepared at least 1,000, that is, equivalent to modern one thousand tanks, seventy-five thousand soldiers. In that era when productivity was extremely underdeveloped, those who could have this kind of military power were very powerful countries.

Then came the supplies truck. According to the Art of War, a supply truck needs to be equipped with ten cooks, five custodians, five grooms who raise horses, and five handymen responsible for cutting wood and fetching water, a total of twenty-five people. Therefore, one thousand supply trucks require 25,000 people.

One thousand chariots and one thousand the supplies truck added up to exactly one hundred thousand men. In ancient times, mobilizing an army of 100,000 men was a very big deal.

With such a large army, the commander must consider the problem of food and grass transportation, especially when we are going to fight in other countries. In ancient times, transporting food was a big deal. Because there were no such convenient transportation tools as modern times, special food transport troops were needed to deliver it to the battlefield ahead. Generally speaking, if you bring 10 tons of food to the front line, it would be good to have 2 tons left when you deliver the food. Where did the remaining 8 tons of grain go? Among them, 4 meals of food were eaten by the food transport troops on the way there, and 4 more meals had to be left behind as rations for the return journey, otherwise these food transport troops would starve to death on the way. Generally speaking, it takes at least twenty people’s rations to transport one soldier’s rations to the front line. If the journey is longer and requires crossing mountains and ridges, the cost will be even higher.

Thus in times of war, money is spent every day faster than running water, and if the country does not have an abundance of money and material, it simply cannot withstand such consumption.

To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence

Since ancient times, wars have been launched for the sake of profit. If the war lasts too long and consumes too much financial and material resources, the gains will outweigh the losses. And every time you win a battle, you will pay a high price and consume a lot of national power. Even if you are a very powerful country, it will become empty after a long war. Therefore, from this perspective, Sun Tzu believed that “To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence“.

Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting

Sun Tzu repeatedly calculates these detailed accounts to emphasize to us that chariots are expensive, people are expensive, horses are expensive, and food is expensive. The cost of fighting a battle is too high, and we can’t afford it without money.

Then let’s think about it conversely, if there is a way to significantly reduce the cost of a certain item, wouldn’t it be invincible? This is the same as running a business. If you make the same product and lower the cost, you can kill the higher-cost business.

So what’s the best way?

Sun Tzu pointed out that the core purpose of fighting is not to kill the enemy, because killing the enemy requires paying a price. Killing one thousand enemies and injuring oneself eight hundred is not a small price. If there is a covetous third party, waiting for us to be exhausted and out of ammunition and food, and then take advantage of the situation, wouldn’t that allow others to benefit? Therefore, the best way to fight a war is to subjugate the enemy’s troops without fighting, and let the enemy surrender voluntarily. This is Sun Tzu’s idea of “seeking perfection”.

Cao Cao, a military strategist during the Three Kingdoms period, also said something similar. What he meant was that when fighting, we should surround the enemy and make him despair, recognize the situation clearly, and surrender voluntarily. That would be the best. If the enemy resolutely refuses to surrender and fights as a trapped beast, we can only attack the city and defeat him. Then we will have to pay a huge price. What we get is not a complete city, but a broken city, and the use value is greatly reduced.

What’s more, anything can happen on the battlefield. Even if we have a great advantage, we may not be able to win easily. Maybe if we are not careful, we will be defeated by the enemy in turn. Therefore, no matter what the circumstances, attacking a city is a last resort and a last resort. This is the essence of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Don’t worry about winning or not. The key is not to lose first. Defeating the enemy does not mean you have won. The key is whether you have become stronger or weaker after fighting this battle.

“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting” is the best way. Secondly, even if a fight is necessary, it must be decided in one fight and the problem must be solved once and for all. You know, winning every battle is itself the biggest problem.

In modern society, what are some ways to win without fighting?

“Win without fighting” means using clever strategy, wisdom, or diplomacy to force the opponent to surrender or achieve a goal without actually fighting. This approach happens often in the real world, especially in diplomacy, politics, and business. Here are some real-world examples:

1.Economic sanctions

Country A can put pressure on Country B by imposing economic sanctions without actually engaging in military combat. This may include freezing assets, banning trade, canceling economic aid, etc. to force country B to act or negotiate in accordance with country A’s wishes. Take, for example, the sanctions imposed by the United Nations on Iran.

2.Diplomatic negotiations

In international relations, countries or organizations can avoid conflicts through diplomatic negotiations, good offices, or mediation to achieve common interests or resolve disputes peacefully.

Many conflicts are resolved through negotiations and peace treaties, avoiding actual fighting. For example, the Treaty of Versailles ended World War I without further fighting.

3.Deterrence and Military Display

A country can demonstrate its military strength through military exercises, weapons displays, or public displays of military technology to deter adversaries into recognizing the risks and costs of conflict.

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union adopted a policy of mutual deterrence, demonstrating each other’s military power and nuclear deterrence to avoid direct war, ultimately allowing both sides to maintain stability without actual combat.

4.Business negotiations

In business, companies can use negotiation tactics and intelligence to achieve favorable deal terms without resorting to confrontational action.

5.Psychological Warfare

Use psychological tactics to influence your opponent, creating fear or confusion so that they feel overwhelmed without actual combat.

6.Cyber Warfare and Information Operations

In the modern era, cyber warfare and information operations can severely impact hostile entities, influencing their behavior without engaging in direct military conflict.

The examples of win without fighting

A microcosm of this concept is ably demonstrated by Bruce Lee in the classic film, Enter the Dragon. Renowned fighters from all over the world are en route to an island for a secret martial arts tournament. One particularly pugnacious white fighter harasses and bullies some of the Chinese crew members he encounters, before sighting Bruce Lee and attempting to pick a fight within thinly disguised conversation. He asks about Lee’s fighting style, to which he responds, “the art of fighting, without fighting,” a likely reference to Sun Tzu.

Lee declined the offer to fight now, but the provocateur refused to give up. Lee suggested that they needed more space and pointed out that a small boat could travel to a nearby island. When the man boarded the boat, Lee untied the rope and let the boat float away, handing control to the man he had bullied.

Both the “fighting without fighting” and the deception that achieved the bloodless, effortless victory were entirely in keeping with the advice of the ancient Chinese general.

The highest skill is not to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles; the highest skill is to subdue the enemy without fighting. How can you possibly argue with that? It seems obvious in its simplicity yet it’s often obscured and is thus profound. Your goal is not simply victory, but victory without loss.

Empty Fort Strategy-Zhuge Liang

This story takes place during the Three Kingdoms period in China. It mainly focuses on the wisdom and strategy between Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, and Sima Yi, the general of the Wei Kingdom.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, lost the strategic location Jieting due to miscalculation, and Wei general Sima Yi took advantage of the situation to attack.

At that time, Zhuge Liang only had 2,500 soldiers, but Wei Jun Sima Yi led an army of 150,000.

Everyone was shocked when they heard the news that Sima Yi was coming with his troops. After Zhuge Liang climbed to the tower to watch, he said to everyone: “Don’t panic, everyone. I can teach Sima Yi to retreat with a little strategy.”

So, Zhuge Liang issued an order to hide all the flags and keep the soldiers where they were. Anyone who went out privately or made a loud noise would be beheaded immediately. Soldiers were also asked to open the four city gates, and 20 soldiers were sent to pretend to be ordinary people at each gate and sprinkle water to sweep the streets. Zhuge Liang put on his crane cloak, led two little book boys, and a harp, went to the city and sat down in front of the enemy tower, and then slowly started playing the harp.

Sima Yi brought his troops to the city. Seeing this momentum, he was confused and did not dare to enter the city easily. Then he ordered his troops to retreat in an orderly manner. His second son Sima Zhao asked: “Is it because Zhuge Liang has no soldiers at home, so he deliberately made this happen? Father, why do you want to retreat?” Sima Yi said: “Zhuge Liang has been cautious in his life and has never taken risks. Now that the city gate is wide open, there must be something inside. There is an ambush. If our army goes in, they will fall into their trap. It is better to retreat quickly!” So all the soldiers and horses retreated.

This story is also a good example of how to defeat the enemy without fighting. We don’t have to put everything we have into fighting the enemy. If you can defeat the opponent without hurting anyone or losing anything, why not?

Of course, if you want to have a deeper understanding of the phrase “conquer the enemy without fighting” and understand Sun Tzu’s thoughts, the best way is to read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Everyone can gain something different from it. Although it was written 2,500 years ago and some of the situations are no longer applicable today, the profound philosophical truths it contains can inspire us well.