Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Succeeding by Assessing Strategically from a Chinese Strategic Perspective

The Sunzi's Translation: Lionel Giles 
Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before 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.
- Lionel Giles Translation


The Sunzi's Translation: Dr. Ralph Sawyer 
“These are the ways that successful strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken or transmitted in advance. ... Before the confrontation, they resolve in their conference room that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. Before the confrontation they resolve in their conference room that they will not be victorious, have determined a few factors are in their favor.

If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious while those who have found few factors favor them will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in their favor?

When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.  ...After estimating the advantages in accord with what you have heard, put it into effect with strategic power (shin) supplemented by field tactics that respond to external factors. As for strategic power, [it is] controlling the tactical imbalance of power (ch'uan) in accord with the gains to be realized.  "
- Art of War 1 (Paraphrased from the Sawyer's translation)




The Sunzi's Translation: Dr. Roger T. Ames 
'It is by scoring many points (factors)  that  one conclude the right choice before the  actual decision in a rehearsal in their own mind;  it  is  by  scoring few  points  that  one  conclude the incorrect choice before the actual event  in a rehearsal  in their own mind.  The choice which scores many  points  will be the better decision;  the  choice which  scores few points will not  be the decision,  let  alone the  choice which scores no  points  at  all.  When I make observations on the  basis of this,  the outcome of the decision becomes apparent."   
- Art of War (Paraphrased from Roger Ames's Sunzi's The Art of Warfare)


The Li Quan Perspective on "The Victory Temple’s"
"Those who excel in warfare contend for advantage with others only after determining through temple calculations that they will be successful.

Attacking the rebellious and embracing the distant, toppling the lost and solidifying the extant and uniting the weak and attacking the benighted are all manifestations.

 The interior and exterior becoming estranged, as in the case of the Shang and Chou armies, is what is referred to as having determined victory through temple calculations before engaging in combat.

According to T'ai-yi Tun-chia assessment method, *anything above sixty a majority, anything below sixty is  a minority.  ... In all these cases, victory and defeat are easily seen.* " 
- Li Quan's  T'ai-pai Yin-ching


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