The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Master Sun

Military action is important to the nation -
it is the ground of death and life,
the path of survival and destruction,
so it is imperative to examine it.

Comments

Li Quan * Military action is inauspicious - it is only considered important because it is a matter of life and death, and there is the possibility that it may be taken up lightly.

Du Mu * The survival or destruction of a country and the life or death of its people may depend on military action, so it is necessary to examine it carefully.

Jia Lin * The ground means the location, the place of pitched battle - gain the advantage and you live, lose the advantage and you die. Therefore, military action is called the ground of death and life. The path means the way to adjust to the situation and establish victory - find this and you survive, lose this and you perish. Therefore, it is said to be imperative to examine it. An ancient document says, "There is a way of survival, which helps and strengthens you; there is a way of destruction, which pushes you into oblivion."

Mei Yaochen * Whether you live or die depends on the configuration of the battleground; whether you survive or perish depends on the way of battle.