(Translated by J. J.-L. DUYVENDAK (1889-1954))

CHAPTER I

Paragraph 4
The Elimination of Strength

To remove the strong by means of a strong people brings weakness; to remove the strong by means of a weak people brings strength (634). If the country practises virtue (635), criminals are many. If the country is rich, but is administered as if it *11a were poor, then it is said to be doubly rich, and the doubly rich are strong. If the country is poor, but is administered as if it were rich, it is said to be doubly poor, and the doubly poor are weak. If its army accomplishes what the enemy dares not accomplish, (a country) is strong; if affairs are undertaken which the enemy is ashamed to perform, (a country) profits (636). A ruler values many changes, but the country p.197 values few changes (637). If the country has few products it will be dismembered, but if it has many products it will be strong. A country of a thousand chariots that keeps only one outlet for its products will flourish, but if it keeps ten outlets it will be dismembered.

If in war its army is efficient, a country will be strong; but if fighting is disorderly and the army unwilling, the country will be dismembered. # Farming, trade and office are the three permanent functions (638) in a state (639), and these three functions give rise to six parasitic functions (640), which are called: care for old age (641), living on others, beauty, love, ambition and virtuous conduct. If these six parasites find an attachment, there will be dismemberment (642). The three functions are attached p.198 to three different men, but these six functions may attach themselves to one man (643).

To abolish law by means of the law means strength; to establish law by means of the law means dismemberment. If officials are permanent, law is abolished; but if officials are often transferred, laws are established. In administering a great country, it becomes small; in administering a small country, it becomes great (644). If the people are made strong, the army will be doubly diminished; if the people are made weak, the army will be doubly strengthened (645).

Indeed, to attack the strong with a strong people spells ruin; to attack the strong with a weak people means p.199 the attainment of supremacy. # If the country is strong and war *11b is not waged, the poison will be carried into the territory; rites and music and the parasitic functions will arise, and dismemberment will be inevitable. But if the country (being strong) thereupon wages war, the poison will be carried to the enemy, and not suffering from rites and music and the parasitic functions, it will be strong. If those who exert themselves are promoted, and men of merit are employed in office, the country will be strong; but if the parasitic functions arise, dismemberment will be inevitable. # If farmers are few and merchants numerous, men in high positions will be poor, merchants will be poor and farmers will be poor; these three functions all being poor, dismemberment is inevitable.

If in a country there are the following ten evils: rites, music, odes, history, virtue, moral culture, filial piety, brotherly duty, integrity and sophistry, the ruler cannot make the people fight and dismemberment is inevitable; and this brings extinction in its train (646). If the country has not these ten things and the ruler can make the people fight, he will be so prosperous that he will attain supremacy. A p.200 country where the virtuous govern the wicked, will suffer from disorder, so that it will be dismembered; but a country where the wicked govern the virtuous, will be orderly, so that it will become strong (647).

A country which is administered by the aid of odes, history, rites, music, filial piety, brotherly duty, virtue and moral culture, will, as soon as the enemy approaches, be dismembered; if he does not approach, the country will be poor. But if a country is administered without these eight (648), the enemy dares not approach, and even if he should, he would certainly be driven off when it mobilizes its army and attacks, it will capture its objective, and having captured it, will be able to hold it; when it holds its army in reserve, and makes no attack, it will be rich. A country that loves force is said to attack with what is difficult; a country that *12a loves words is said to attack with what is easy. A country that attacks with what is difficult will gain ten points for every one point that it undertakes, whereas a country that attacks with what is easy will lose a hundred men for every ten that it marches out (649).

If penalties are made heavy and rewards light, the ruler loves his people and they will die for him; but if rewards are made heavy and penalties light, the ruler does not love his p.201 people, nor will they die for him. When, in a prosperous country, penalties are applied, the people will reap profit and at the same time stand in awe; when rewards are applied, the people will reap profit and at the same time have love (650).

A country that has no strength and that practises knowledge and y cleverness, will certainly perish (651); but a fearful people, stimulated by penalties, will become brave, and a brave people, encouraged by rewards, will fight to the death. If fearful people become brave and brave people fight to the death, (the country will have no match); having no match, it will be strong, and being strong it will attain supremacy (652).

If the poor are encouraged by rewards, they will become rich, and if penalties are applied to the rich, they will become poor (653). When in administrating a country one succeeds in making the poor rich and the rich poor, then the country will have much strength (654), and this being the case, it will attain supremacy.

In a country that has supremacy, there are nine penalties p.202 as against one reward (655); in a strong country, there will be seven penalties to three rewards, and in a dismembered country, there will be five penalties to five rewards.

A country where uniformity of purpose has been established for one year, will be strong for ten years; where uniformity of purpose has been established for ten years, it will be strong for a hundred years; where uniformity of purpose has been *12b established for a hundred years, it will be strong for a thousand years; and a country that has been strong for a thousand years will attain supremacy (656).

One who has prestige captures ten by means of one, and grasps concrete things by means of the very sound of his name. Therefore he who succeeds in having prestige, attains supremacy.

A country which knows how to produce strength but not how to reduce it (657), may be said to be a country that attacks itself (658), and it is certain that it will be dismembered; but a country that knows how to produce strength and how to reduce it may be said to be one that attacks the enemy, and it is certain that it will become strong (659). Therefore, the combating of the parasites, the curtailing of its energies p.203 and the attacking of its enemy (660) — if a country employs two of these methods and sets aside only one, it will be strong; but that which employs all three methods will have so much prestige that it will attain supremacy.

A country where ten hamlets are the smallest unit for judgments, will be weak; a country where nine hamlets (661) are the smallest unit for judgments, will be strong. He who can create order in one day will attain supremacy; he who creates order in a night will be strong, and he who procrastinates in creating order will have his state dismembered (662).

 If the whole population is registered at birth and erased (663) at death, there would be no people who would escape agriculture, and in the fields there would be no fallow land. Thus the country would be rich, and being rich it would be strong. If penalties are removed by means of penalties, the country will enjoy order, but if penalties are set up by means of penalties, the country will be in disorder. Therefore is it said: « In applying penalties, punish heavily the light offences.

If punishments are abolished, affairs will succeed and the country will be strong. But if heavy offences are punished heavily and light offences lightly, penalties will appear, trouble will arise and such a state will be dismembered (664). p.204 Punishment produces force, force produces strength, strength produces awe, awe produces kindness. Kindness has its *13a origin in force (665).

In exerting force one should fight with complete courage, and in fighting, plan with complete wisdom (666).

The appearance of gold means the disappearance of grain, and the appearance of grain means the disappearance of gold. If products are cheap — those who occupy themselves with agriculture being many, and buyers being few — farmers will be in hard straits and wickedness will be encouraged, so that the army will be weak and the state will certainly be dismembered and come to extinction.

For every ounce of gold appearing within its borders, twelve piculs of grain will disappear abroad; but for every twelve piculs of grain appearing within its borders, one ounce of gold will disappear abroad (667). If a country favours the appearance of gold within its borders, then gold and grain will both disappear, granary and treasury will both be empty, and the state will be weak. But if a country favours the appearance of grain within its borders, then gold and grain will both appear, granary and treasury will both be filled, and the state will be strong.

p.205 A strong country knows thirteen figures (668): the number of granaries within its borders, the number of able-bodied men and of women, the number of old and of weak people, the number of officials and of officers, the number of those making a livelihood by talking, the number of useful people (669), the number of horses and of oxen, the quantity of fodder and of straw. If he who wishes to make his country strong, *13b does not know these thirteen figures, though his geographical position may be favourable and the population numerous, his state will become weaker and weaker, until it is dismembered.

A country where there are no dissatisfied people is called a strong country. When the army is mobilized for an offensive, rank is given according to military merit, and reliance being placed upon the military, victory is certain.

When the army is in reserve and agriculture is pursued, rank is given according to the production of grain, and reliance being placed upon farming, the country will be rich. If in military enterprises the enemy is conquered and if, when the army is in reserve, the country becomes rich, then it attains supremacy.