玄用 · 哀者勝矣
Xuán Yòng
Classical Chinese Text
用兵有言："吾不敢为主，而为客；不敢进寸，而退尺。"是谓行无行；攘无臂；扔无敌；执无兵。祸莫大于轻敌，轻敌几丧吾宝。故抗兵相若，哀者胜矣。
Translation & Meaning
古代兵家有句格言：「我從不敢主動挑起戰端做侵略之主，而只在迫不得已時應戰自衛為客；不敢輕率貪進一寸，寧可審慎退讓一尺。」 這就叫做列陣卻不顯劍拔弩張之陣勢，奮起卻不露攘臂逞勇之兇態，應敵卻不作盲目死拚，執掌實力卻似手中無兵。 最大的禍患莫過於傲慢輕敵，一旦輕敵好戰，幾乎就要斷送我慈儉謙退的三寶。 所以當兩軍實力相當、對壘交鋒之時，懷著悲憫蒼生、痛惜生命之心被迫自衛的一方，必定獲得最終勝利。
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 用 (yòng): use / function / apply
- 兵 (bīng): classical character (bīng)
- 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
- 言 (yán): words / speech
- 吾 (wú): I / myself
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 敢 (gǎn): dare / venture forward
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 主 (zhǔ): classical character (zhǔ)
- 而 (ér): yet / and / but
- 客 (kè): classical character (kè)
- 进 (jìn): classical character (jìn)
- 寸 (cùn): classical character (cùn)
- 退 (tuì): classical character (tuì)
- 尺 (chǐ): classical character (chǐ)
- 是 (shì): this / therefore
- 谓 (wèi): called / named / designated
- 行 (xíng): practice / teach / walk
- 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
- 攘 (rǎng): classical character (rǎng)
- 臂 (bì): classical character (bì)
- 扔 (rēng): classical character (rēng)
- 敌 (dí): classical character (dí)
- 执 (zhí): classical character (zhí)
- 祸 (huò): classical character (huò)
- 莫 (mò): classical character (mò)
- 大 (dà): classical character (dà)
- 于 (yú): to / at / in
- 轻 (qīng): classical character (qīng)
- 几 (jǐ): resembles / close to
- 丧 (sàng): classical character (sàng)
- 宝 (bǎo): classical character (bǎo)
- 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
- 抗 (kàng): classical character (kàng)
- 相 (xiāng): mutually / each other
- 若 (ruò): classical character (ruò)
- 哀 (āi): classical character (āi)
- 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
- 胜 (shèng): classical character (shèng)
- 矣 (yǐ): [modal particle of realization]
Commentary
青禾散人評注：「抗兵相若，哀者勝矣。」驕兵必敗，狂兵易折；唯有對生命心存敬畏悲憫者，無傲氣亦無退路，上下同心而不可戰勝。