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Weekend Topic—The Thirty-Six Stratagems: Wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.
Plan 4
Wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.
1. Original Text
To weaken the enemy's momentum, do not engage in battle; diminish strength and enhance flexibility.
2. Translation
To weaken the enemy’s strength and force it into a precarious situation, it is not always necessary to launch a direct offensive; rather, one can perfectly adopt a strategy of passive defense and noncombat. This approach naturally weakens the enemy’s strengths and strengthens our own weaknesses in the process.
3. Source
"Wait for the enemy in a state of ease and await their exhaustion." This phrase comes from Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War—On the Engagement”: “The morale of an army can be undermined, and the commander’s resolve can be shaken. Thus, morning vigor is sharp, midday vigor wanes, and evening vigor returns to its original state. Those skilled in warfare avoid the enemy’s sharpness and strike when their vigor has waned and they are returning to complacency—this is how one manages morale. To meet chaos with order and quietness with clamor—that is how one manages the mind. To meet distance with proximity, ease with fatigue, and fullness with hunger—that is how one manages strength.”
In “The Art of War—On the Principles of Strength and Weakness,” Sun Tzu says: “He who occupies the battlefield first and waits for the enemy to arrive enjoys ease; he who arrives at the battlefield later and rushes into battle is bound to be exhausted. Thus, the skilled warrior knows how to lead the enemy rather than letting the enemy lead him.” The original meaning is that whoever reaches the battlefield first and waits for the enemy will remain calm and in control, while those who arrive later will be forced to respond hastily and inevitably become tired and passive. Therefore, a commander who is adept at warfare always manages to maneuver the enemy, never allowing the enemy to manipulate him.
4. Interpretation
"Yi Yi Dai Lao" refers to a strategic approach in which, when the enemy is at the height of its momentum or when our side has already secured a favorable position, we proactively adopt a defensive posture to avoid the enemy’s offensive edge and strengthen our own forces. While actively defending, we conserve our energy and resources, and skillfully guide the situation to keep the enemy on standby across the prearranged battlefield. Once the enemy becomes exhausted, its fighting spirit wanes, and the balance of power shifts in our favor, we seize the opportune moment to swiftly redeploy our troops and decisively defeat the enemy.
This strategy emphasizes that putting the enemy in a difficult situation does not necessarily require solely offensive tactics. The key lies in seizing the initiative, waiting for the right moment to strike, adapting to all changes with unwavering composure, responding to motion with stillness, actively drawing the enemy into your own strategic framework, creating opportunities for attack, and preventing the enemy from dictating the pace of the battle—rather, striving to lead the enemy by the nose. Therefore, the “wait” in “waiting patiently for the enemy to tire themselves out” should not be interpreted as passively and idly waiting. In modern business warfare, “waiting patiently for the enemy to tire themselves out” manifests as a strategic approach that remains steadfast in the face of ever-changing circumstances, using small adjustments to counter large-scale transformations.
