A skilled commander cultivates righteous governance and upholds military laws, so he can control the outcome of victory and defeat.
The art of war recognizes five factors: first, territory; second, resources; third, troop numbers; fourth, comparative strength; fifth, victory.
Territory determines resources; resources determine troop numbers; troop numbers determine comparative strength; comparative strength determines victory.
Thus a victorious army is like weighing a small weight against a huge one, while a defeated army is like weighing a huge weight against a small one.
When a victor leads his troops into battle, it is like releasing a flood of water from a thousand-ren deep valley — such is the overwhelming momentum of force.
Note
A great military strategist and thinker in ancient China, who lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He authored The Art of War, the world’s earliest and most influential military classic. His strategic thoughts have been widely applied in military, politics and management worldwide.
Yi and Zhu (鎰, 銖)
Ancient Chinese weight units. Yi was a much heavier unit, while Zhu was extremely light. They are used here to vividly show the huge gap between two sides in strength.
Ren (仞)
A traditional Chinese length unit. One ren equals roughly eight feet. “A thousand-ren valley” describes an extremely high and steep cliff, implying irresistible momentum.
Cultivate governance and uphold laws
A core idea combining politics and military. It means improving internal administration and observing rules to build solid national and military power.
This passage captures the absolute core of Sun Tzu’s strategic philosophy: true victory is achieved long before the battle even begins. Instead of glorifying battlefield heroics, Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of preparation, systemic calculation, and overwhelming advantage.
Here is a breakdown of the key concepts:
- The Foundation of Victory: Politics and Law
Sun Tzu states that masterful commanders “cultivate the moral law and strictly preserve method and discipline.” He argues that military success is not merely about tactics on the field, but is deeply rooted in domestic governance. A nation with clear politics, unified people, and strict laws holds the ultimate power to dictate the outcome of a conflict. - The Five-Factor Formula for Success
Sun Tzu introduces a highly logical, step-by-step framework for calculating strength. He asserts that victory is a mathematical certainty based on objective conditions:
Measurement (Estimation of distance/terrain): Assessing the land.
Estimation (Quantity): Calculating the resources the land can provide.
Calculation (Numbers): Determining the size of the army those resources can sustain.
Comparison (Balancing chances): Weighing your military strength against the enemy’s.
Victory: The inevitable result of this comparison.
This chain shows that war is a science of resource management and strategic positioning, not just a clash of weapons.
- The Principle of Overwhelming Advantage
To illustrate this, Sun Tzu uses the metaphor of weight. He compares a winning army to a pound’s weight placed against a single grain, and a losing army to the reverse. This highlights his famous principle of asymmetric advantage: a master strategist never fights a fair fight. They build up such an insurmountable advantage that victory is practically guaranteed. - The Metaphor of Pent-up Waters
Finally, Sun Tzu defines the concept of “Form” (or Tactical Disposition). He says that a victorious commander leads their forces like pent-up waters bursting into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep. This vivid imagery conveys the idea of unstoppable momentum. When a leader has done all the preparatory work, the actual execution of the battle is as natural, powerful, and inevitable as a massive flood.
In short: Sun Tzu is teaching us that the greatest generals don’t win through miraculous, last-minute heroics. They win through meticulous preparation, ensuring they possess an absolute advantage so that victory becomes a mere formality.
善用兵者，修道而保法，故能為勝敗之政。兵法：「一曰度，二曰量，三曰數，四曰稱，五曰勝；地生度，度生量，量生數，數生稱，稱生勝。」故勝兵若以鎰稱銖，敗兵若以銖稱鎰。勝者之戰民也，若決積水于千仞之谿，形也。
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