三十六計（Thirty-Six Stratagems）乃兵家之經典著作。古人學好三十六計，帶兵打仗勝券在握。現代人習之，運用於商場職場生活各個領域。而三十六計在外國也極受歡迎……那麼今天我們一起看看，三十六計的英文表達吧！
01、Winning Stratagems
第一套 勝戰計
第一計 瞞天過海
Crossing the sea under camouflage
備周則意怠；常見則不疑。陰在陽之內，不在陽之對。太陽，太陰。
Mask your real goals, by using the ruse of a fake goal, until the real goal is achieved. Tactically, this is known as an 'open feint': in front of everyone, you point west, when your goal is actually in the east.
第二計 圍魏救趙
Relieving the state of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei
共敵不如分敵；敵陽不如敵陰。
When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead.
The idea here is to avoid a head-on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at his weakness elsewhere. This will force the strong enemy to retreat in order to support his weakness. Battling against the now tired and low-morale enemy will give a much higher chance of success.
第三計 借刀殺人
Killing someone with a borrowed knife
敵已明，友示定，引友殺敵，不自出力，以《損》推演。
When you do not have the means to attack your enemy directly, then attack using the strength of another. Trick an ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him.
第四計 以逸待勞
Waiting at one's ease for the exhausted enemy
困敵之勢，不以戰；損剛益柔。
It is an advantage to choose the time and place for battle. In this way you know when and where the battle will take place, while your enemy does not. Encourage your enemy to expend his energy in futile quests while you conserve your strength. When he is exhausted and confused, you attack with energy and purpose.
第五計 趁火打劫
Plundering a burning house
敵之害大，就勢取利，剛決柔也。
When a country is beset by internal conflicts, when disease and famine ravage the population, when corruption and crime are rampant, then it will be unable to deal with an outside threat. This is the time to attack.
第六計 聲東擊西
Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
敵志亂萃，不虞，坤下兌上之象。利其不自主而取之。
In any battle the element of surprise can provide an overwhelming advantage. Even when face to face with an enemy, surprise can still be employed by attacking where he least expects it. To do this you must create an expectation in the enemy's mind through the use of a feint.
02、Enemy Dealing Stratagems
第二套 敵戰計
第七計 無中生有
Creating something out of nothing
誑也，非誑也，實其所誑也。少陰，太陰，太陽。
You use the same feint twice. Having reacted to the first and often the second feint as well, the enemy will be hesitant to react to a third feint. Therefore the third feint is the actual attack catching your enemy with his guard down.
第八計 暗渡陳倉
Advancing secretly by an unknown path
示之以動，利其靜而有主，“益動而巽”。
Deceive the enemy with an obvious approach that will take a very long time, while surprising him by taking a shortcut and sneak up to him. As the enemy concentrates on the decoy, he will miss you sneaking up to him.
第九計 隔岸觀火
Watching a fire from the other side of the river
陽乖序亂，陰以待逆。暴戾恣睢，其勢自斃。順以動豫，豫順以動。
Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves. Then go in at full strength and pick up the pieces.
第十計 笑裡藏刀
Covering the dagger with a smile
信而安之，陰以圖之。備而後動，勿使有變。剛中柔外也。
Charm and ingratiate yourself with your enemy. When you have gained his trust, move against him in secret.
第十一計 李代桃僵
Palming off substitute for the real thing
勢必有損，損陰以益陽。
There are circumstances in which you must sacrifice short-term objectives in order to gain the long-term goal. This is the scapegoat strategy whereby someone else suffers the consequences so that the rest do not.
第十二計 順手牽羊
Picking up something in passing
微隙在所必乘，微利在所必得。少陰，少陽。
While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.
03、Attacking Stratagems
第三套：攻戰計
第十三計 打草驚蛇
Beating the grass to frighten the snake
疑以叩實，察而後動。復者，陰之媒也。
Do something unarmed, but spectacular ("hitting the grass") to provoke a response of the enemy ("startle the snake"), thereby giving away his plans or position, or just taunt him.
Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking.
More widely used as "[Do not] startle the snake by hitting the grass". An imprudent act will give your position or intentions away to the enemy.
第十四計 借屍還魂
Resurrecting a dead soul by borrowing a corpse
有用者，不可借；不能用者，求借。借不能用者而用之。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。
Take an institution, a technology, a method, or even an ideology that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose.
Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or bring to life old ideas, customs, or traditions and reinterpret them to fit your purposes.
第十五計 調虎離山
Luring the tiger out of his den
待天以困之，用人以誘之，往蹇來返。
Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his position thus separating him from his source of strength.
第十六計 欲擒故縱
Letting the enemy off in order to catch him
逼則反兵，走則減勢。緊隨勿迫，累其氣力，消其鬥志，散而後擒，兵不血刃。需，有孚，光。
Cornered prey will often mount a final desperate attack. To prevent this you let the enemy believe he still has a chance for freedom.
His will to fight is thus dampened by his desire to escape. When in the end the freedom is proven a falsehood the enemy's morale will be defeated and he will surrender without a fight.
第十七計 拋磚引玉
Giving the enemy something to induce him to lose more valuable things
類以誘之，擊蒙也。
Bait someone by making him believe he gains something or just make him react to it ("toss out a brick") and obtain something valuable from him in return ("get a jade gem").
第十八計 擒賊擒王
Capturing the ringleader first in order to capture all the followers
摧其堅，奪其魁，以解其體。龍戰於野，其道窮也。
If the enemy's army is strong but is allied to the commander only by money, superstition or threats, then take aim at the leader.
If the commander falls the rest of the army will disperse or come over to your side.
If, however, they are allied to the leader through loyalty then beware, the army can continue to fight on after his death out of vengeance.
04、Chaos Stratagems
第四套：混戰計
第十九計 釜底抽薪
Extracting the firewood from under the cauldron
不敵其力，而消其勢，兌下乾上之象。
Take out the leading argument or asset of someone; "steal someone's thunder". This is the very essence of indirect approach: instead of attacking enemy's fighting forces, the attacks are directed against his ability to wage war.
第二十計 混水摸魚
Muddling the water to catch the fish; fishing in troubled waters
乘其陰亂，利其弱而無主。隨，以嚮晦入宴息。
Create confusion and use this confusion to further your own goals.
第二十一計 金蟬脫殼
Slipping away by casting off a cloak; getting away like the cicada sloughing its skin
存其形，完其勢；友不疑，敵不動。巽而止蠱。
Mask yourself. Either leave one's distinctive traits behind, thus becoming inconspicuous, or masquerade as something or someone else.
This strategy is mainly used to escape from enemy of superior strength.
第二十二計 關門捉賊
Catching the thief by closing / blocking his escape route
小敵困之。剝，不利有攸往。
To capture your enemy, or more generally in fighting wars, to deliver the final blow to your enemy, you must plan prudently if you want to succeed. Do not rush into action.
Before you "move in for the kill", first cut off your enemy's escape routes, and cut off any routes through which outside help can reach them.
第二十三計 遠交近攻
Befriending the distant enemy while attacking a nearby enemy
形禁勢格，利從近取，害以遠隔。上火下澤。
It is known that nations that border each other become enemies while nations separated by distance and obstacles make better allies.
When you are the strongest in one field, your greatest threat is from the second strongest in your field, not the strongest from another field.
第二十四計 假途伐虢
Attacking the enemy by passing through a common neighbor
兩大之間，敵脅以從，我假以勢。困，有言不信。
Borrow the resources of an ally to attack a common enemy. Once the enemy is defeated, use those resources to turn on the ally that lent you them in the first place.
05、Proximate Stratagems
第五套：並戰計
第二十五計 偷樑換柱
Stealing the beams and pillars and replacing them with rotten timbers
頻更其陣，抽其勁旅，待其自敗，而後乘之。曳其輪也。
Disrupt the enemy's formations, interfere with their methods of operations, change the rules in which they are used to following, go contrary to their standard training.
In this way you remove the supporting pillar, the common link that makes a group of men an effective fighting force.
第二十六計 指桑罵槐
Reviling / abusing the locust tree while pointing to the mulberry
大凌小者，警以誘之。剛中而應，行險而順。
To discipline, control, or warn others whose status or position excludes them from direct confrontation; use analogy and innuendo. Without directly naming names, those accused cannot retaliate without revealing their complicity.
第二十七計 假痴不癲
Feigning madness without becoming insane
寧偽作不知不為，不偽作假知妄為。靜不露機，雲雷屯也。
Hide behind the mask of a fool, a drunk, or a madman to create confusion about your intentions and motivations. Lure your opponent into underestimating your ability until, overconfident, he drops his guard. Then you may attack.
第二十八計 上屋抽梯
Removing the ladder after the enemy has climbed up the roof
假之以便，唆之使前，斷其援應，陷之死地。遇毒，位不當也。
With baits and deceptions, lure your enemy into treacherous terrain. Then cut off his lines of communication and avenue of escape. To save himself, he must fight both your own forces and the elements of nature.
第二十九計 樹上開花
Putting artificial flowers on trees
借局佈勢，力小勢大。鴻漸於陸，其羽可以為儀也。
Tying silk blossoms on a dead tree gives the illusion that the tree is healthy. Through the use of artifice and disguise, make something of no value appear valuable; of no threat appear dangerous; of no use appear useful.
第三十計 反客為主
Turning from the guest into the host
乘隙插足，扼其主機，漸之進也。
Usurp leadership in a situation where you are normally subordinate. Infiltrate your target. Initially, pretend to be a guest to be accepted, but develop from inside and become the owner later.
06、Desperate Stratagems
第六套：敗戰計
第三十一計 美人計
Using seductive women to corrupt the enemy
兵強者，攻其將；將智者，伐其情。將弱兵頹，其勢自萎。利用禦寇，順相保也。
Send your enemy beautiful women to cause discord within his camp. This strategy can work on three levels.
First, the ruler becomes so enamoured with the beauty that he neglects his duties and allows his vigilance to wane.
Second, other males at court will begin to display aggressive behaviour that inflames minor differences hindering co-operation and destroying morale.
Third, other females at court, motivated by jealousy and envy, begin to plot intrigues further exacerbating the situation.
第三十二計 空城計
Presenting a bold front to conceal unpreparedness
虛者虛之，疑中生疑。剛柔之際，奇而復奇。
When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretense of military preparedness, act calmly and taunt the enemy, so that the enemy will think you have a huge ambush hidden for them.
It works best by acting calm and at ease when your enemy expects you to be tense.
第三十三計 反間計
Sowing discord among the enemy
疑中之疑。比之自內，不自失也。
Undermine your enemy's ability to fight by secretly causing discord between him and his friends, allies, advisors, family, commanders, soldiers, and population.
While he is preoccupied settling internal disputes, his ability to attack or defend is compromised.
第三十四計 苦肉計
Deceiving the enemy by torturing one's own man
人不自害，受害必真。假真真假，間以得行。童蒙之吉，順以巽也。
Pretending to be injured has two possible applications. In the first, the enemy is lulled into relaxing his guard since he no longer considers you to be an immediate threat.
The second is a way of ingratiating yourself to your enemy by pretending the injury was caused by a mutual enemy.
第三十五計 連環計
Coordinating one stratagem with another
將多兵眾，不可以敵，使其自累，以殺其勢。在師中吉，承天寵也
In important matters, one should use several stratagems applied simultaneously after another as in a chain of stratagems. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; however, in this manner if any one strategy fails, then the chain breaks and the whole scheme fails.
第三十六計 走為上
Decamping being the best; running away as the best choice
全師避敵。左次無咎，未失常也。
If it becomes obvious that your current course of action will lead to defeat, then retreat and regroup. When your side is losing, there are only three choices remaining: surrender, compromise, or escape.
Surrender is complete defeat, compromise is half defeat, but escape is not defeat.
As long as you are not defeated, you still have a chance. This is the most famous of the stratagems, immortalized in the form of a Chinese idiom: "Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is best".
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