Pick three of your favorite Thirty-Six Stratagems!
三十六计(Thirty-Six Stratagems)
1.瞒天过海 crossing the sea under camouflage
2.围魏救赵 relieving the state of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei
3.借刀杀人 killing someone with a borrowed knife
4.以逸待劳 waiting at one’s ease for the exhausted enemy
5.趁火打劫 plundering a burning house
6.声东击西 making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
7.无中生有 creating something out of nothing
8.暗渡陈仓 advancing secretly by an unknown path
9.隔岸观火 watching a fire from the other side of the river
10.笑里藏刀 covering the dagger with a smile
11.李代桃僵 palming off substitute for the real thing
12.顺手牵羊 picking up something in passing
13.打草惊蛇 beating the grass to frighten the snake
14.借尸还魂 resurrecting a dead soul by borrowing a corpse
15.调虎离山 luring the tiger out of his den
16.欲擒故纵 letting the enemy off in order to catch him
17.抛砖引玉 giving the enemy something to induce him to lose more valuable things
18.擒贼擒王 capturing the ringleader first in order to capture all the followers
19.釜底抽薪 extracting the firewood from under the cauldron
20.混水摸鱼 muddling the water to catch the fish; fishing in troubled waters
21.金蝉脱壳 slipping away by casting off a cloak; getting away like the cicada sloughing its skin
22.关门捉贼 catching the thief by closing / blocking his escape route
23.远交近攻 befriending the distant enemy while attacking a nearby enemy
24.假途伐虢 attacking the enemy by passing through a common neighbor
25.偷梁换柱 stealing the beams and pillars and replacing them with rotten timbers
26.指桑骂槐 reviling/ abusing the locust tree while pointing to the mulberry
27.假痴不癫 feigning madness without becoming insane
28.上屋抽梯 removing the ladder after the enemy has climbed up the roof
29.树上开花 putting artificial flowers on trees
30.反客为主 turning from the guest into the host
31.美人计 using seductive women to corrupt the enemy
32.空城计 presenting a bold front to conceal unpreparedness
33.反间计 sowing discord among the enemy
34.苦肉计 deceiving the enemy by torturing one’s own man
35.连环计 coordinating one stratagem with another
36.走为上计 decamping being the best; running away as the best choice
*混水摸鱼 muddling the water to catch the fish; fishing in troubled waters
*顺手牵羊 picking up something in passing
*偷梁换柱 stealing the beams and pillars and replacing them with rotten timbers
These three are my favorites :p
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