Advantageous Strategies (胜战计) The "Advantageous Strategies" are used in situations when time and resources are to one's advantage, when there is no need to rush, and detailed planning can be carried out. The six strategies in this category include the following: 1. "Deceiving the heavens to cross the sea" (瞒天过海 or "Man Tian Guo Hai") 2. "Besieging Wei to save Zhao" (围魏救赵 or "Wei Wei Jiu Zhao") 3. "Killing with a borrowed knife" (借刀杀人 or "Jie Dao Sha Ren") 4. "Conserving energy while the enemy tires himself out" (以逸待劳 or "Yi Yi Dai Lao") 5. "Looting a house on fire" (趁火打劫 or "Chen Huo Da Jie") 6. "Making a feint to the east but hitting out in the west" (声东击西 or "Sheng Dong Ji Xi")

Opportunistic Strategies (敌战计) The "Opportunistic Strategies" thrive on situations where vulnerabilities can be exploited. The idea is to capitalise on all opportunities so as to gain the advantage. The strategies include: 7. "Creating something out of nothing" (无中生有 or "Wu Zhong Sheng You") 8. "Secret escape through Chen Cang" (暗渡陈仓 or "An Du Cheng Cang") 9. "Observing the fire from the other side of the river" (隔岸观火 or "Ge An Guan Huo") 10. "A dagger sheathed in a smile" (笑里藏刀 or "Xiao Li Cang Dao") 11. "The plum dies in place of the peach" (李代桃僵 or "Li Dai Tao Jiang") 12. "Stealing a goat along the way" (顺手牵羊 or "Shun Shou Qian Yang")

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Offensive Strategies (攻战计) Like the Advantageous Strategies, the "Offensive Strategies" are used in situations when time and resources are not constraining factors. However, these strategies seek to gain victory through direct attack. The six strategies include: 13. "Hitting the grass to startle the snake" (打草惊蛇 or "Da Cao Jing She") 14. "Borrowing a corpse to resurrect a soul" (借尸还魂 or "Jie Shi Huan Hun") 15. "Luring a tiger from its lair in the mountain" (调虎离山 or "Diao Hu Li Shan") 16. "Releasing the enemy to recapture him later" (欲擒故纵 or "Yu Qin Gu Zong") 17. "Tossing out a brick to get a jade" (抛砖引玉 or "Pao Zhuan Yin Yu") 18. "Disband the bandits by arresting their leader" (擒贼擒王 or "Qin Zei Qin Wang")

Confusion Strategies (混战计) The "Confusion Strategies" aim to confuse a pursuing enemy to throw him off his guard. In this way, valuable time can be gained in making one's escape. These strategies include: 19. "Pulling out the firewood from beneath the cauldron" (斧底抽薪 or "Fu Di Chou Xin") 20. "Catching a fish in troubled waters" (混水摸鱼 or "Hun Shui Mo Yu") 21. "Making an unnoticed escape like a golden cicada shedding its skin" (金蝉脱壳 or "Jin Chan Tuo Ke") 22. "Shutting the doors to catch the thief" (关门捉贼 or "Guan Men Zhuo Zei") 23. "Befriend the far and attack the near" (远交近攻 or "Yuan Jiao Jin Gong") 24. "Borrow a passage to attack Guo" (假途伐虢 or "Jia Tu Fa Guo")

36 Strategies