36 Strategies of Ancient China

Strategy 1: Deceive the sky to cross the ocean.

Strategy 2: Surround Wei to rescue Zhao.

Strategy 3: Borrow another's hand to kill. (Kill with a borrowed knife.)

Strategy 4: Make your enemy work while you wait at leisure.

Strategy 5: Use the opportunity of fire to rob others. (Loot a burning house).

Strategy 6: Display in the east and attack in the west.

Strategy 7: Create something from nothing.

Strategy 8: Secretly utilize the Chen Chang passage. (Pretend to take one path while sneaking down the other. E.g., the Allied invasion of Normandy and the Pas de Calai deception).

Strategy 9: Watch the fires burning across the river.

Strategy 10: Knife hidden under the smiling face.

Strategy 11: Plum tree sacrifices for the peach tree.

Strategy 12: Walk the sheep home, just because it is there. (Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat.)

Strategy 13: Disturb the snake by hitting the grass.

Strategy 14: Borrow another's body to return the soul. (Raise a corpse from the dead).

Strategy 15: Entice the tiger to leave the mountain.

Strategy 16: In order to capture, one must let loose.

Strategy 17: Bait a piece of jade with a brick.

Strategy 18: Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief.

Strategy 19: Remove the firewood under the cooking pot.

Strategy 20: Fish in troubled waters.

Strategy 21: Slough off the cicada's shell. (False appearances mislead the enemy).

Strategy 22: Shut the door to catch the thief.

Strategy 23: Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbor.

Strategy 24: Obtain safe passage to conquer the Kingdom of Guo.

Strategy 25: Replace the beams and pillars with rotten timber.

Strategy 26: Point at the mulberry and curse the locust.

Strategy 27: Pretend to be a pig in order to eat the tiger. (Play dumb.)

Strategy 28: Cross the river and destroy the bridge.

Strategy 29: Deck the tree with bogus blossoms.

Strategy 30: Make the host and the quest exchange places.

Strategy 31: The beauty trap. (The tender trap, use a woman to ensare a man.)

Strategy 32: Empty city.

Strategy 33: Let the enemy's own spy sow discord in the enemy camp. (Use double agents.)

Strategy 34: Inflict injury on one's self to win the enemy's trust.

Strategy 35: Chain together the enemy's ships.

Strategy 36: Run away to fight another day. (Escape is the best policy.)