| Invention |
Cross the sea by fooling
the sky [1]
Besiege kingdom A to save
kingdom B [2]
Kill with a borrowed knife
[3] |
Relax while the enemy exhausts
himself [4]
Loot a burning house [5]
Make a feint to East while
attacking to West [6] |
Steal the firewood from
under the cauldron [19]
Fish in troubled waters [20]
Slough off the cicada's shell
[21] |
Shut the door to catch the
thief [22]
Befriend distant state while
attacking neighbour [23]
Obtain safe passage to conquer
the kingdom of A [24] |
| Rigidity |
Create something out of
nothing [7]
Pretend to take path A while
taking path B [8]
Watch the fires burning across
the river [9] |
Conceal a dagger in a smile
[10]
Sacrifice the plum tree for
the peach tree [11]
Take the opportunity to pilfer
a goat [12] |
Replace the beams and pillars
with rotten timber [25]
Point at the mulberry and
curse the locust [26]
Play dumb while remaining
smart [27] |
Pull down the ladder after
the ascent [28]
Deck the tree with bogus
blossoms [29]
Make the host and guest exchange
places [30] |
| Ambiguity |
Beat the grass to startle
the snake [13]
Raise a corpse from the dead
[14]
Lure the tiger out of the
mountains [15] |
Snag the enemy by letting
him off the hook [16]
Cast a brick to attract jade
[17]
Catch the ringleader to nab
the bandits [18] |
Use a woman to ensnare a
man [31]
Fling open the gates to the
empty city [32]
Let enemy's own spy sow discord
in enemy camp [33] |
Inflict injury on self to
win enemy's trust [34]
Chain together the enemy's
warships [35]
Run away [36] |
