;

Therefore not knowing

Critical Text

是	故	不	知	諸	侯
shi	gu	bu	zhi	zhu	hou
this	reason	not	know	all	lords

之	謀	者	不	能	豫
zhi	mou	zhe	bu	neng	yu
's	strategy	one-who	not	able	prepare

交	不	知	山	林	險
jiao	bu	zhi	shan	lin	xian
alliance	not	know	mountain	forest	defile

阻	沮	澤	之	形	者
zu	ju	ze	zhi	xing	zhe
gorge	marsh	swamp	's	form	one-who

不	能	行	軍	不	用
bu	neng	xing	jun	bu	yong
not	can	move	army	not	employ

鄉	導	者	不	能	得
xiang	dao	zhe	bu	neng	de
local	guide	one-who	not	able	attain

地	利	故	兵	以	詐
di	li	gu	bing	yi	zha
earth	advantage	thus	military	use	guile

立	以	利	動	以	分
li	yi	li	dong	yi	fen
establish	use	advantage	move	use	divide

合	變	者	也
he	bian	zhe	ye
join	transform	one-who	(period)

Yinqueshan Text

是故不知諸侯之謀者不。。。刑者不能行軍不用鄉道。。。動以分合變者也

Shiyijia zhu Text

故不知諸侯之謀者不能豫交不知山林險阻沮澤之形者不能行軍不用鄉導者不能得地利故兵以詐立以利動以分和為變者也

Translation

Therefore not knowing the strategies of the feudal lords, one cannot ally with them. Not knowing the form of mountains and forests, defiles and gorges, marshes and swamps, one cannot move the army. Not employing local guides, one cannot obtain the advantage of the ground. And so the military is based on guile, acts due to advantage, transforms by dividing and joining.

Annotations

The last three lines provide a short account of bing, "the military." Whereas chapter 1 offers two major summaries of the word (in terms of "the five" and the seven appraisals) as well as an elegant definition ("The military is a dao of deception"), this passage gives us a succinct summary of the basis and activity of what constitutes bing.