学说英语“三十六计”——围魏救赵

HoCheung

Besiege Wèi to rescue Zhào

When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead.

The origins of this proverb is from the Warring States Period. The state of Wèi attacked Zhao and laid siege to its capital Handan. Zhào turned to Qí for help, but the Qí general Sun Bin determined it would be unwise to meet the army of Wèi head on, so he instead attacked their capital at Daliang. The army of Wèi retreated in haste, and the tired troops were ambushed and defeated at the Battle of Guiling, with the Wèi general Pang Juan slain on the field. Note that this campaign is also described explicitly in the Art of War of Master Sun Bin the younger.

The idea here is to avoid a head on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at his weakness elsewhere. This will force the strong enemy to retreat in order to support his weakness. Battling against the now tired and low-morale enemy will give a much higher chance of success.

围魏救赵

公元前354年，赵国进攻卫国，迫使卫国屈服于它。卫国原来是入朝魏国的，现在改向亲附赵国，魏惠王不由十分恼火，于是决定派庞涓讨伐赵国。不到一年时间，庞涓便攻到了赵国的国都邯郸。邯郸危在旦夕。赵国国君赵成侯一面竭力固守，一面派人火速奔往齐国求救（此时，赵国与齐国结盟）。齐威王任命田忌为主将，以孙膑为军师，率军救赵。孙膑出计，要军中最不会打仗的齐城、高唐佯攻魏国的军事要地——襄陵，以麻痹魏军。而大军却绕到直插大梁。庞涓得到魏惠王的命令只得火速反国救援。魏军为疲惫之师，怎能打过齐国以逸待劳的精锐之师。所以大败。

所谓围魏救赵，是指当敌人实力强大时，要避免和强敌正面决战，应该采取迂回战术，迫使敌人分散兵力，然后抓住敌人的薄弱环节发动攻击，致敌于死地。

本指围攻魏国的都城以解救赵国。现借指用包超敌人的后方来迫使它撤兵的战术。

HoCheung

Deceive the heavens to cross the ocean

The stratagem references an episode when Tang emperor Tang Gaozong balked from crossing the sea to a campaign against Koguryo. His General brought him the invitation of a wealthy peasant to supper. As the emperor entered this house, it began to shake - the General had deceivedly lured the emperor onto a ship! Upon discovering this, the emperor decided to carry on and later finished the successful campaign.

This stratagem means that you mask your real goals, thus deceiving even the emperor / heavens itself with a fake goal, until they are confronted with finished facts. Harro von Senger notes in the German-Language "Die List" that to grasp the full meaning, it would be something like "to deceive the holy virgin Mary" in the western hemisphere.

This strategy made use of the human weakness that, people eventually become unaware of common everyday activities, or events that keeps repeating itself. When this happens, it is the best moment carry out one's previously hidden true objective.

瞒天过海

公元589年，隋朝将大举攻打陈国。这陈国乃是公元557年陈霸先称帝建国，定国号为陈，建都城于建康，也就是今天的南京。战前，隋朝将领贺若弼因奉命统领江防，经常组织沿江守备部队调防。每次调防都命令部队于历阳（也就是今天安徽省和县一带地方）集中。还特令三军集中时，必须大列旗帜，遍支警帐，张扬声势，以迷惑陈国。果真陈国难辨虚实，起初以为大军将至，尽发国中士卒兵马，准备迎敌面战。可是不久，又发现是隋军守备人马调防，并非出击，陈便撤回集结的迎战部队。如此五次三番，隋军调防频繁，蛛丝马迹一点不露，陈国竟然也司空见惯，戒备松懈。直到隋将贺若弼大军渡江而来，陈国居然未有觉察。隋军如同天兵压顶，令陈兵猝不及防，遂一举拔取陈国的南徐州（今天的讲苏省镇江市一带）。

防备得周全时，更容易麻痹大意；习以为常的事，也常会失去警戒。秘密常潜藏在公开的事物里，并非存在于公开暴露的事物之外。公开暴露的事物发展到极端，就形成了最隐秘的潜藏状态。

本指光天化日之下不让天知道就过了大海。形容极大的欺骗和谎言，什么样的欺骗手段都使得出来。

andyzhao

太深奥啦!呵呵，我只看中文就好啦！谢谢斑竹！

garygan

版主你太有才了，期待后面的34计。

无痕

中文版的看过几遍了,中英文版的还是头一次看,楼主辛苦了

hnsxpx555

应该把文言文那些翻译成英语，让老外学习一下，不知道会有什么效果！

peter_chen8

very good idea.

2008weaverwin

Good story thanks LZ .