Thirty-Six Stratagems
SynopsisPlot
The 36 Stratagems is a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics and in war, as well as in civilian life, often through unorthodox means. Also available for free in French at the 2nd link.
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About this book
The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a collection of Chinese strategic principles, each described in a short passage and often illustrated with historical examples from politics and warfare. The text organizes its stratagems into six chapters, grouping them by the type of situation they address, from positions of strength to moments of desperation. The authorship is unknown, and the essay's exact date of composition remains uncertain, though it draws on ideas found across centuries of Chinese military and political thought.
Each stratagem carries a compact title, sometimes only a few characters long, that compresses a tactical idea into a memorable phrase. Some deal with deception and misdirection, others with patience, retreat, or turning an opponent's strength into a weakness. The stratagems apply not only to battlefields but also to diplomacy, negotiation, and ordinary social life. Their brevity makes them closer to proverbs than to detailed instruction, leaving readers to interpret how each principle fits a given situation.
The text became widely known in China as a popular companion to more formal military classics. Its thirty-sixth and final stratagem, often paraphrased as knowing when to withdraw, is among the most frequently quoted in everyday Chinese speech.
