Chinese Text Project Dictionary

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	Simplified Chinese version

School of the Military -> The Art of War -> The Use of Spies -> 4

凡军之所欲击，城之所欲攻，人之所欲杀；必先知其守将，左右，谒者，门者，舍人之姓名，令吾间必索知之。必索敌间之来间我者，因而利之，导而舍之，故反间可得而使也。因是而知之，故乡间内间可得而使也；因是而知之，故死间为诳事，可使告敌；因是而知之，故生间可使如期。五间之事，主必知之，知之必在于反间，故反间不可不厚也。

Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de-camp, and door-keepers and sentries of the general in command. Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain these. The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they will become converted spies and available for our service. It is through the information brought by the converted spy that we are able to acquire and employ local and inward spies. It is owing to his information, again, that we can cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy. Lastly, it is by his information that the surviving spy can be used on appointed occasions. The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy. Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with the utmost liberality.

Character	Composition	Variants	Reading	Meaning	Hanyu	Kangxi	Cihai
凡	几+1	凢凣	fán ㄈㄢˊ	Summary. / Ordinary. / All, every. / In total. / Adverb: approximately. / Name of a state.	v1,p0276#03	p.134#02	p.170r4c02
军	车+2	𡗽军	jūn ㄐㄩㄣ	army, military; soldiers, troops	v5,p3513#02	p.1239#11	p.1297r3c01
之	丿+3	㞢	zhī ㄓ	Towards; go to. / Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Third person pronoun: him, her, it. / Auxiliary word: of. / Auxiliary word: used between subject and predicate, cancels independence of a clause. / Auxiliary word: used in a sentence for aesthetic purpose only, no meaning.	v1,p0043#01	p.82#04	p.47r2c02
所	户+4	𢨷	suǒ ㄙㄨㄛˇ	Place. / Location. / A suitable place or location. / Measure word, used for counting buldings. / Used before a verb, creates a noun-like phrase. / If. Mainly used in oaths and curses. / Used together with 为 to indicate the passive tense. / Indicates an approximate number. / Number, number of times. / Meaning.	v3,p2259#01	p.415#16	p.556r1c01
欲	欠+7	欲	yù ㄩˋ	desire, want, long for; intend	v3,p2140#07	p.567#36	p.729r4c02
击	手+13	撃击	jī jí jì xí ㄐㄧㄐㄧˊ ㄐㄧˋ ㄒㄧˊ	strike, hit, beat; attack, fight	v3,p1965#06	p.458#09	p.594r2c01
城	土+6		chéng ㄔㄥˊ	castle; city, town; municipality	v1,p0438#07	p.229#32	p.320r1c02
攻	攴+3		gōng ㄍㄨㄥ	attack, assault; criticize	v2,p1449#06	p.468#16	p.600r1c01
人	人+0	𠔽亻	rén ㄖㄣˊ	Man, person. / Others, other people. / The people, ordinary men. / Talent, material. / [A man's] character. / Affairs of men, world of man. / Benevolence.	v1,p0101#10	p.91#01	p.80r2c01
杀	殳+7	殺煞𢁛𢽅𢿹𢽆𢼡𢿔𧤿杀	shā ㄕㄚ	Kill. / Corrupt, ruin. / Die. / Fight, kill each other.	v3,p2157#01	p.585#11	p.743r4c02
			shài ㄕㄞˋ	Wither, decline. / Decrease, reduce us of. / Decline, fall.
			sà ㄙㄚˋ	Dim, gloomy appearance.
必	心+1		bì ㄅㄧˋ	surely, most certainly; must	v4,p2267#02	p.375#02	p.522r5c01
先	儿+4		xiān ㄒㄧㄢ	first, former, previous	v1,p0267#02	p.124#05	p.134r3c02
知	矢+3	𢇻𥎿	zhī ㄓ	Know, understand. / Perception. / Recognize. / Knowledge. / Know about, make sense of. / Be friendly with. / Control, get on top of.	v4,p2581#02	p.824#01	p.955r5c02
			zhì ㄓˋ	Wisdom.
其	八+6	丌亓	qí ㄑㄧˊ	Third-person possessive pronoun: his, her, its, their. / Demonstrative pronoun: that, those. / Adverb expressing estimation or guess. / Adverb expressing imperative. / Adverb expressing rhetorical question. / Adverb expressing future tense. / Connective expressing hypothesis: if, supposing. / Connective expressing choice: or. / Connective expressing concession: even if. / Particle used after an adjective. / Particle: of. / Particle used for emphasis after single-character adjectives or onomatopoeia. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to alter the tempo.	v1,p0245#01	p.127#18	p.162r5c01
			jì ㄐㄧˋ	Particle used after bi and he.
			jī ㄐㄧ	Modal particle expressing interrogative tone. / A year.
守	宀+3	𡬮𡬴	shǒu shòu ㄕㄡˇ ㄕㄡˋ	defend, protect, guard, conserve	v2,p0912#03	p.282#05	p.405r4c01
将	寸+8	𤕭𢪇将畺	jiāng ㄐㄧㄤ	Take. / Use. / Push forward. / Drive. / Help, support. / Help financially. / Advance, go forward. / Carry out, execute. / Follow. / Comply, submit. / Do, carry out. / Accompany, see off. / Transmit. / Express. / Offer (as a sacrifice). / Look after, raise. / Protect. / Strong, robust. / Long time. / Carry, lead. / Side, beside. / Will, about to. / Close to, almost. / How? / Preposition: with. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: or, otherwise. / Connective: if, supposing. / Particle used after a verb. / A kind of insect.	v4,p2375#10	p.294#16	p.434r1c03
			jiàng ㄐㄧㄤˋ	Command troops. / Military commander. / Appoint as military commander.
			qiāng ㄑㄧㄤ	Please, humbly request. / [Onomatopoeia]
			zāng ㄗㄤ	Female sheep.
左	工+2		zuǒ ㄗㄨㄛˇ	left; east; unorthodox, improper	v1,p0411#05	p.325#08	p.464r2c01
右	口+2		yòu ㄧㄡˋ	right; west; right-wing	v1,p0569#01	p.173#05	p.245r6c01
谒	言+9	谒	yè ㄧㄝˋ	visit, pay respects to	v6,p3997#04	p.1173#10	p.1251r5c02
者	老+4		zhě ㄓㄜˇ	Pronoun used after verbs, adjectives, etc. in place of a person or thing. / Pronoun used after numbers in place of a thing. / Pronoun used after time or negation to express "when" or "if". / Expressive particle used in a declarative sentence after the subject. / Expressive particle used in a sentence after the subject to express cause or explanation.	v4,p2780#05	p.961#01	p.1080r1c01
			zhuó ㄓㄨㄛˊ	In, located in.
门	门+0	门	mén ㄇㄣˊ	gate, door, entrance, opening	v7,p4281#01	p.1329#53	p.1403r4c05
舍	舌+2	舎舍	shè shě shì ㄕㄜˋ ㄕㄜˇ ㄕˋ	house, dwelling; dwell, reside	v5,p2941#02	p.1006#23	p.1115r6c01
姓	女+5	𤯧𤯣	xìng ㄒㄧㄥˋ	one's family name; clan, people	v2,p1037#12	p.259#05	p.381r6c02
名	口+3		míng ㄇㄧㄥˊ	Name. / Writing. / To name, give a name to. / Call, refer to as. / Title, name of. / Title, status. / Fame, recognition. / Famous, well-known. / Large. / Between the eyebrows and eyelashes. / The School of Names.	v1,p0582#06	p.175#09	p.254r2c01
令	人+3	令	lìng ㄌㄧㄥˋ	Order, decree / Drinking game. / Give an order, issue a command. / Cause, make. / Seasons. / Official title: top administrative official in a district. / Official title: central or local official in charge of a particular function. / Good, good looking. / Respectful term for another's family. / A short form of writing. / Words said out of politeness or diplomacy.	v1,p0111#10	p.93#12	p.87r2c01
			líng ㄌㄧㄥˊ	If. / Wagtail.
			lián ㄌㄧㄢˊ	Same as “令居” lián jū ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄩ: [Name of a place]
吾	口+4	𠮣	wú ㄨˊ	First person pronoun: I, we. / Defend, resist.	v1,p0585#13	p.180#03	p.260r5c01
			yú ㄩˊ	See 吾吾.
			yá ㄧㄚˊ	Yunyu, an ancient district.
间	门+4	闲间	jiān jiàn jiǎn ㄐㄧㄢㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄢˇ	interval, space; place, between	v7,p4288#06	p.1333#01	p.1408r3c01
索	糸+4	索	suǒ ㄙㄨㄛˇ	large rope, cable; rules, laws; to demand, to exact; to search, inquire; isolated	v5,p3369#09	p.918#16	p.1035r5c01
敌	攴+11	敌	dí ㄉㄧˊ	enemy, foe, rival; resist	v2,p1475#04	p.474#48	p.607r1c02
来	人+6	來来徕耒	lái ㄌㄞˊ	Wheat. / Come, approach, draw near. / Return. / Incur, lead to. / Will, in the future. / Since, from some time until now. / Approximate number. / Particle: used when the object of a sentence is moved forward to emphasize the object. / Particle used to alter tempo. / Modal particle expressing suggestion or encouragement.	v1,p0141#08	p.101#16	p.102r1c01
			lài ㄌㄞˋ	See 劳来.
我	戈+3	𠨂𢦓𢦠	wǒ ㄨㄛˇ	First-person pronoun: I. / One's own side in general. / Expresses closeness. / Egoism, self-involvement.	v2,p1401#02	p.412#01	p.552r1c01
因	囗+3	囙𤇀	yīn ㄧㄣ	cause, reason; by; because (of)	v1,p0711#09	p.217#02
而	而+0		ér ㄦˊ	Whiskers. / Like, similar to. / Pronoun: you. / Pronoun: this, like this. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: and, then. / Connective: if, supposing. / Connective: yet, however. / Connective: therefore, hence. / Connective: expresses method or state. / Particle: of. / Expressive particle.	v4,p2810#01	p.961#18	p.1080r2c03
			néng ㄋㄥˊ	Same as “能(3)” néng ㄋㄥˊ: Able to, competent. / Same as “能(2.1)” néng ㄋㄥˊ: Ability, talent.
利	刀+5	利𥝢𥝤	lì ㄌㄧˋ	Sharp. / Fast, speedy. / Favourable, lucky. / Convenient, useful. / Profits, benefits. / Beneficial to, good for. / Profit, interest. / Diarrhea.	v1,p0329#02	p.138#19	p.180r2c02
导	寸+12	𡭎导	dǎo dào ㄉㄠˇ ㄉㄠˋ	direct, guide, lead, conduct	v1,p0512#05	p.296#10	p.537r6c02
故	攴+5		gù ㄍㄨˋ	Cause. / State of affairs. / Event, incident. / Plot. / Old. / Past, original. / Death. / On purpose. / Originally. / Hence, thus.	v2,p1453#05	p.469#25	p.601r5c01
反	又+2	𠬡	fǎn ㄈㄢˇ	Turn over. / Opposite, other way around. / Violate, go against. / Rebel, mutiny. / Return, go back to. / Go and return. / Return, give back. / Repeat, do again. / Reason by analogy. / Reflect, consider. / Revenge. / Fanqie, an ancient way of specifying character readings. / Adverb: rather, on the contrary.	v1,p0391#03	p.165#19	p.234r1c02
			fān ㄈㄢ	Open. / Correct a mistaken judgement. / Pour out.
			fàn ㄈㄢˋ	Same as “贩(2)” fàn ㄈㄢˋ: To trade goods.
			bǎn ㄅㄢˇ	See "反反".
			pàn ㄆㄢˋ	See "反衍".
可	口+2	歌厥	kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ	may, can, -able; possibly	v1,p0567#07	p.172#12	p.244r1c02
得	彳+8	𢔶䙷𢔨	dé ㄉㄜˊ	Get, obtain. / Plunder. / Covet. / Success. / Fitting, appropriate. / Compatible. / Satisfied, pleased. / Possible, can. / Same as “德(1)” dé ㄉㄜˊ: Morals, morality. / Same as “德(3)” dé ㄉㄜˊ: Reward kindness, thank.	v2,p0828#03	p.367#31	p.513r6c02
使	人+6	𡥐𠭆	shǐ ㄕˇ	Order, send (on a mission). / Cause, make. / Allocate, use. / Indulge in.. / Send as an envoy. / Envoy, messenger. / Connective: if, supposing.	v1,p0145#02	p.101#05	p.101r3c03
也	乙+2	𠃟匜	yě ㄧㄝˇ	Modal particle used at the end of a sentence, expressing assertion and affirmation. / Modal particle used at the end of a question for emphasis. / Modal particle used at the end of a cause-effect sentence to express explanation. / Modal particle used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause.	v1,p0050#05	p.84#04	p.55r1c01
是	日+5	昰𣆞	shì ㄕˋ	Straight. / Right, correct. / Believe accurate, affirm. / Demonstrative pronoun: this. / Be (copula). / Auxiliary word, used after moving forward the object.	v2,p1497#05	p.493#26	p.639r1c01
乡	邑+9	郷鄕乡	xiāng xiǎng xiàng ㄒㄧㄤㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄒㄧㄤˋ	country; rural; village	v6,p3786#04	p.1275#02
内	入+2	𡗠内	nèi nà ㄋㄟˋ ㄋㄚˋ	inside, interior; domestic	v1,p0097#02	p.125#35	p.141r5c02
死	歹+2	𠑾𣥴	sǐ ㄙˇ	die; dead; death	v2,p1380#06	p.578#22	p.740r6c06
为	火+5	爲为	wéi ㄨㄟˊ	Create, make. / Build, construct. / Do. / Plant, grow. / Govern. / Research, study. / Serve as. / Change into, become. / As, in the role of. / Count as, be considered as. / Called, named. / Expresses judgement: is. / Make, cause (to). / Have. / Take part in. / Write, author. / Connective: if. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to move forward the object. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express a rhetorical question.	v3,p2198#11	p.669#10	p.844r4c03
			wèi ㄨㄟˋ	Help, assist. / Preposition: for, on behalf of. / Preposition: by (passive). / Preposition: because of, due to. / Preposition: with, together with. / Connective: because. / Say. / False, fake.
诳	言+7	诳	kuáng kuàng ㄎㄨㄤˊ ㄎㄨㄤˋ	deceive, lie, delude, cheat	v6,p3978#13	p.1161#26	p.1245r3c02
事	亅+7	亊叓𠭏	shì ㄕˋ	Office, duty. / Job, career. / Things, affairs. / Accident, incident. / Engage (in), pursue. / Serve.	v1,p0023#03	p.85#24	p.58r3c02
告	口+4	吿	gào ㄍㄠˋ	tell, announce, inform; accuse	v1,p0589#12	p.181#19
生	生+0	𤯓	shēng ㄕㄥ	life, living, lifetime; birth	v4,p2575#01	p.754#26	p.906r5c03
如	女+3		rú ㄖㄨˊ	Go to. / According to, in accordance with. / Like, similar to. / As good as, comparable to. / Should. / Or, alternatively. / If, should it be the case. / As for, as regards. / Adjectival suffix.	v2,p1025#09	p.255#21	p.378r5c02
期	月+8	朞𣅆𠔸逞	qī qí jī ㄑㄧㄑㄧˊ ㄐㄧ	period of time; date; time limit	v3,p2083#07	p.506#11	p.662r3c01
五	二+2	伍𠄡㐅	wǔ ㄨˇ	five; surname	v1,p0011#03	p.86#11	p.64r3c01
主	丶+4	丶宔	zhǔ ㄓㄨˇ	master, chief owner; host; lord	v1,p0044#03	p.80#20	p.45r2c01
在	土+3		zài ㄗㄞˋ	Exist, be alive. / Be in a certain place. / Inquire after, pay one's respects to. / Preposition: due to, being that. / Preposition: specifies location or time of an action - in, at.	v1,p0418#07	p.223#10	p.312r2c07
于	二+1	扵于	yú ㄩˊ	Go to, go towards. / Take. / Rim of the mouth of a bell. / A type of plant. / [Onomatopoeia] / Same as “于(3.1)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: in. / Same as “于(3.2)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: from or to. / Same as “于(3.3)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: compared to. / Same as “于(3.4)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: to, for, towards. / Same as “于(3.5)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: by (indicating passive tense). / Same as “于(3.6)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: with, using. / Same as “于(3.7)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: due to, because of. / Same as “于(3.8)” yú ㄩˊ: Preposition: by, according to. / Preposition: for, in place of. / Connective: and. / Auxiliary word: used in a sentence for aesthetic purpose only, no meaning. / Auxiliary word: used in at the end of a sentence to express questioning.	v1,p0004#05	p.86#06	p.63r3c02
不	一+3	不𠀚𠙐	bù ㄅㄨˋ	(3.1) 否定副词：用于动词、形容词等前面，表示否定。 Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation.	v1,p0011#06	p.76#15	p.30r1c01
不	一+3	不𠀚𠙐	bù ㄅㄨˋ	Not have. / To not be. / Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. / Negational adverb expressing prohibition: do not. / Negational adverb expressing rhetorical question: is not...?	v1,p0011#06	p.76#15	p.30r1c01
			fǒu ㄈㄡˇ	Same as “否(1.2)” fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used together with an affirmative word, expressing its negative or opposite. / Same as “否(1.3)” fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used at the end of a question to form a yes-no question.
			fū ㄈㄨ	Sepal of a flower.
			pī ㄆㄧ	Same as “丕(1)” pī ㄆㄧ: Large.
			bǐ ㄅㄧˇ	Show disdain for.
厚	厂+7	垕𡦩	hòu ㄏㄡˋ	thick; substantial; greatly	v1,p0072#06	p.161#26	p.229r2c02

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