Those words that Sun Tzu never said are
commonly found in various versions of Sun Tzu's art of war, and most of the
translations do not even have half accuracy.
But these are not what Sun Tzu said are
often eulogized as if Sun Tzu said.
This is really shocking! So the following
will use Lionel Giles version to make a statistic, if you are interested in Sun
Tzu's art of war, you can consider reading it.
Below I divide the translation status into
five categories:
Correct translation
Approximate translation: Not completely
accurate.
Wrong translation
No translation: The translator did not
translate because he did not understand or neglect.
Redundant errors: Words that do not exist
in the original text or earlier version.
Section I: Laying Plans
計篇
|
Translation
|
Condition
|
original text
|
Correct translation
|
|
1. Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war is of
vital importance to the State.
|
Correct
|
孫子曰：兵者，國之大事也；
|
|
|
2. It is a matter of life and death, a
road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can
on no account be neglected.
|
Approximate
|
死生之地，存亡之道，不可不察也。
|
|
|
3. The art of war,
then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's
deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the
field.
|
Wrong
|
故經之以五，校之以計，以索其情。
|
Therefore, five things are used as the
general administrative program, and the state of these five things is used as
the direction of comparison between the enemy and us to explore the true
situation of each other's strength.
|
|
4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2)
Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
|
Wrong
|
一曰道，二曰天，三曰地，四曰將，五曰法。
|
One is called the Tao, the second is
called the Meteorology, the third is called the Terrain, the fourth is called
the General, and the fifth is called the Law.
|
|
5, 6. The Moral Law causes the people to
be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him
regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
|
Approximate
|
道者：令民與上同意者也；故可與之死，可與之生，民弗詭也。
|
" Tao " means: people and the
superior have the same will, so that the superior can go through fire and
water with the people, and the people will not betray him!
|
|
7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold
and heat, times and seasons.
|
Wrong
|
天者：陰陽、寒暑，時制也。
|
"Meteorology" refers to the
cloudy(yin) and sunny(yang) of the weather, and the cold and heat of the
climate, and their changes are controlled by time.
|
|
8. Earth comprises distances, great and
small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of
life and death.
|
Wrong
|
地者：高下、廣狹、遠近、險易、死生也。
|
"Terrain" refers to the five
relative properties of "high and low, wide and narrow, far and near,
steep and flat, dangerous and safe."
|
|
9. The Commander stands for the virtues
of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.
|
Approximate
|
將者：智、信、仁、勇、嚴也。
|
"General" means: a general
needs to possess five virtues: " wisdom, credit, benevolence, courage,
and strictness."
|
|
10. By Method and discipline are to be
understood the marshalling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the
graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which
supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.
|
Wrong
|
法者：曲制、官道、主用也。
|
"Law" refers to three methods:
the establishment system of the army (organization), the command mode of the
officials (management), and the use of the monarch (decision making).
|
|
11. These five heads should be familiar
to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not
will fail.
|
Correct
|
凡此五者，將莫不聞；知之者勝，不知者不勝。
|
|
|
12. Therefore, in your deliberations,
when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis
of a comparison, in this wise:—
|
Approximate
|
故校之以計，以索其情。
|
|
|
13. Which of the two sovereigns is imbued
with the Moral law?
Which of the two generals has most
ability?
With whom lie the advantages derived from
Heaven and Earth?
On which side is discipline most
rigorously enforced?
Which army is stronger?
On which side are officers and men more
highly trained?
In which army is there the greater
constancy both in reward and punishment?
|
Wrong
|
曰：主孰賢？將孰能？天地孰得？法令孰行？兵眾孰強？士卒孰練？賞罰孰明？
|
These things are: whose monarch is more
wise? Whose general is more capable? Who gets the right time and benefits of
terrain? Whose statute has been followed? Whose army is stronger? Whose
soldiers are better trained? Whose rewards and punishments are fair?
|
|
14. By means of these seven
considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.
|
Correct
|
吾以此知勝敗矣。
|
|
|
15. The general that hearkens to my
counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: — let such a one be retained in
command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will
suffer defeat: — let such a one be dismissed!
|
Approximate
|
將聽吾計，用之必勝，留之；將不聽吾計，用之必敗，去之。
|
|
|
16. While heeding the profit of my
counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the
ordinary rules.
|
Wrong
|
計利以聽，乃為之勢，以佐其外；
|
The result of the calculation is favorable and obeyed by the general, so
the monarch could build up general's reputation and establish general's majesty,
so that general can get help when fighting with troops.
|
|
17. According as circumstances are
favorable, one should modify one’s plans.
|
Wrong
|
勢者，因利而制權也。
|
How much authority should be established for the general, this is
determined by how much benefit this war will bring!
|
|
18. All warfare is based on deception.
|
Wrong
|
兵者，詭道也。
|
Military action is a violation of the norm!
|
|
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must
seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near,
we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make
him believe we are near.
|
Approximate
|
故能而示之不能，用而示之不用；近而示之遠，遠而示之近。
|
|
|
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy.
Feign disorder, and crush him.
|
Wrong
|
故利而誘之，亂而取之，
|
Our army deliberately abandoned some benefits to seduce the enemy. Our
army deliberately disrupted its formation to seduce the enemy to attack.
|
|
21. If he is secure at all points, be
prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
|
Wrong
|
實而備之，強而避之，
|
Our army was strong but deliberately prepared for the enemy. Our army
was powerful but deliberately avoided the enemy.
|
|
22. If your opponent is of choleric
temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
|
Wrong、Redundant
errors
|
怒而橈之；
|
Our army was angered but deliberately adopt a strategy of watching the
enemy;
|
|
23. If he is taking his ease, give him no
rest. If his forces are united, separate them.
|
Redundant errors
|
|
|
|
24. Attack him where he is unprepared,
appear where you are not expected.
|
Wrong
|
攻其無備，出其不意。
|
(after the enemy is taken lightly) and attack the enemy when he is
unprepared, and take actions beyond his expectations.
|
|
25. These military devices, leading to
victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
|
Correct
|
此兵家之勝，不可先傳也。
|
|
|
26. Now the general who wins a battle
makes many calculations in his temple where the battle is fought. The general
who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many
calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more
no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee
who is likely to win or lose.
|
Wrong
|
夫未戰而廟算勝者，得算多也；未戰而廟算不勝者，得算少也。多算勝，少算敗，況無算乎！吾以此觀之，勝敗見矣。
|
Before the battle, we compared the
strength of the enemy and ours in the temple. The calculation result is
better than the enemy, we get more chips; the calculation result is not
better than the enemy, we get less chips. More chips have a higher chance of
winning, and less chips have a higher chance of failure, not to mention that
there are no chips! I use this method to observe the war, then the victory
and defeat have already appeared!
|
The following statistics are based on the
number of Chinese words.
The total number of words in this article:324
|
Condition
|
Number of Related words
|
Proportion
|
|
Approximate
|
97
|
29.93827
|
|
Correct
|
44
|
13.58025
|
|
Wrong
|
183
|
56.48148
|
|
Redundant errors
|
12
|
|
Approximate+
Correct= 43.51852%。
Correct translation reference:
Amazon kindle: The art of war: The world's most complete English translation
Amazon kindle: The art of war: The world's most complete English translation
Google play books: The art of war: The world's most complete English translation
Kobo:The art of war: The world's most complete English translation
Kobo:The art of war: The world's most complete English translation
