Having heard the calculations

Critical Text

Yinqueshan Text

。。。

Shiyijia zhu Text

計利以聽乃為之勢以佐其外勢者因利而制權也

Translation

Having appraised the advantages, heed them. Then make them into shi to aid with the external. Shi is governing the balance according to the advantages.

Annotations

The Guanzi contains a similar passage: "Thus as for the dao constitutive of attack: the appraisals must first be settled within [the state], and then the military can go out into [enemy] territory" (Guanzi, "Qi fa" 七法, cf. Rickett, Guanzi , pp. 132-33).

This is a pivot point in the chapter. All materials thus far have been addressed to the ruler. Now we move from these various calculations to their application in military matters outside the state. The means to effect this is shi, which we have written on extensively in the book, The Art of War . (See, in particular, the essay entitled "Taking Whole," pp. 70-81.)

The rest of this chapter then turns to the kinds of material that may also be found in other chapters of the Sunzi. Indeed, the subsequent passage begins with a definition of the military, just like the present beginning of this chapter. It is possible that it was once the opening lines of the Sunzi text.