Chinese Text Project : Important issue in the translation of 孫子兵法

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This thread relates to:

The Art of War - Attack by Stratagem #3

2013-12-12 07:50:45Important issue in the translation of 孫子兵法
Posted by: pe0mpe0m (Patrick Moran)	In Chapter 3 of the text it says: 必以全爭於天下， The Giles translation takes the most easily defensible interpretation of this phrase, indicating that one should make keeping one's own forces whole a major objective while engaging in warfare. The Denma group translates, "One must take it whole when contending for all under heaven." Some people might regard 全爭 as meaning that an all-out assault is to be made against the other nations of the world. Another interpretation appears in: 孫子今註今譯 Sun Zi Jin Zhu Jin Shi (Master Sun: A Modern Commentary and Modern Translation). By Wei Ru-lin 魏汝霖. Published by the Shang-wu Yin-shu-guan (Commercial Press), Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. 1984. Wei thinks there is not a 全面戰爭 but a total engagement with the world, an engagement in the sense of maintaining good intelligence sources, being prepared to stymie developments that held promise of becoming seriously detrimental to his own country.

2013-12-12 07:50:45Important issue in the translation of 孫子兵法

Posted by: pe0mpe0m (Patrick Moran)

In Chapter 3 of the text it says:
必以全爭於天下，

The Giles translation takes the most easily defensible interpretation of this phrase, indicating that one should make keeping one's own forces whole a major objective while engaging in warfare.

The Denma group translates, "One must take it whole when contending for all under heaven."

Some people might regard 全爭 as meaning that an all-out assault is to be made against the other nations of the world.

Another interpretation appears in: 孫子今註今譯 Sun Zi Jin Zhu Jin Shi (Master Sun: A Modern Commentary and Modern Translation). By Wei Ru-lin 魏汝霖. Published by the Shang-wu Yin-shu-guan (Commercial Press), Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. 1984.

Wei thinks there is not a 全面戰爭 but a total engagement with the world, an engagement in the sense of maintaining good intelligence sources, being prepared to stymie developments that held promise of becoming seriously detrimental to his own country.

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