Nine Reponses
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This article discusses the last stanza at the end of the first section of Chapter 11 of The Art of War. This chapter discusses the “nine grounds.” These “grounds” explain the nine different common situations that arise in competitive meetings. In this stanza, Sun Tzu lists the responses required in each situation to win supporters.
People judge us by how well we respond to different situations. These responses generally lead to the best outcomes, the outcomes that are rewarded by others. But the quality of our response can win supporters no matter what the outcome.
This post continues our project explaining each stanza of Sun Tzu’s work. The English translation and Chinese transliterations are from my award-winning book, The Art of War and The Ancient Chinese Revealed.
Initial Stages
The responses to the three initial stage situations are:
<Correct> <make> <scattered> <ground> <then> <without> <battle>
To be successful, you must control scattering terrain by avoiding battle.<Easy> <ground> <then> <without> <stopping>
Control easy terrain by not stopping.<Contentious> <ground> <then> <without> <attacking>
Control disputed terrain by not attacking.
To defend our positions against an attack of a larger, well-organized competitor, we initially avoid direct comparison with them. How this is done is explained in more detail later in the chapter.
When improving our position in the eye of others is easy, we find it tempting to make a few easy improvements and stop. We must avoid this temptation and instead keep making as many easy improvements as possible.
When a situation degrades into competitors criticizing each other, we avoid the temptation to join into this destructive conflict.
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Middle Stages
As we make progress in advancing our positions, the following responses are needed.
<Meeting> <ground> <then> <without> <breaking> <off>
Control open terrain by staying with the enemy’s forces.<Highway> <ground> <then> <meet> <harmony>
Control intersecting terrain by uniting with your allies.<Serious> <ground> <then> <plunder>
Control dangerous terrain by plundering.
In situations where there are few obstacles to improvement, we must build up our value to others in a way that keeps pace with what our competitors are doing.
In situations where we need allies to satisfy the needs of those who can reward us, we must be willing to meet and get to know our fellow competitors to make winning alliances.
In situations where we are running out of resources, we must find a way to win rewards from those near us even though we didn’t see them as potential supporters before.
Late Stages
<Ruined> <ground> <then> <march>
Control bad terrain by keeping on the move.<Surround> <ground> <then> <scheme>
Control confined terrain by using surprise.<Death> <ground> <then> <battle>
Control deadly terrain by fighting.
Sun Tzu’s advice for “bad” terrain is familiar, “When the going gets tough, the tough keep going.”
When we are hemmed in, we can only get out by becoming,creative and making a move that is so surprising that no opponent can block it.
When we must do or die, we must use all our resources to survive, holding nothing back. We must pour those resources into creating value that must be rewarded.
Conclusions
Later in this chapter, Sun Tzu explains how we execute these nine responses to win rewards in comparison to others.