What Are the 36 Stratagems? Complete Guide to Ancient Chinese Strategy

Sun Tzu’s Lesser-Known Cousin

Everyone’s heard of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Fewer people know about the 36 Stratagems (三十六计).

But in East Asia, both are widely studied. And for good reason.

If the Art of War is the philosophy of strategy, the 36 Stratagems are the playbook.

When I first started explaining them to readers in Beijing in 2024, I kept noticing the same pattern. People expected one solemn military manual like Sun Tzu. Instead they found a catalog of moves, feints, traps, timing plays, exits, and pressure patterns that felt much closer to lived competition than abstract philosophy alone.

That changed the way I introduced them. I stopped treating the 36 Stratagems as exotic sayings and started treating them as a Chinese library of recurring strategic situations.

What Are They?

The 36 Stratagems are a collection of Chinese proverbs and historical examples used in warfare, politics, and daily life.

They’re organized into six categories of six stratagems each:

1. Winning Stratagems (胜战计) — When You’re Winning

Strategies for when you have the advantage. Don’t waste it.

1. Deceive the heavens to cross the sea
2. Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao
3. Kill with a borrowed knife
4. Wait at leisure while the enemy labors
5. Loot a burning house
6. Make a feint to the east and attack in the west

2. Enemy Dealing Stratagems (敌战计) — When Facing an Opponent

Strategies for direct confrontation situations.

7. Create something from nothing
8. Openly repair the walkway, secretly march to Chencang
9. Watch the fires from across the river
10. Hide a knife in a smile
11. Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree
12. Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat

3. Attacking Stratagems (攻战计) — When You Need to Attack

Strategies for taking initiative.

13. Beat the grass to startle the snake
14. Borrow a corpse to return the soul
15. Lure the tiger from the mountain
16. To catch something, first let it go
17. Throw a brick to attract jade
18. Capture the ringleader to catch the gang

4. Chaos Stratagems (混战计) — In Confusing Situations

Strategies for complex, unclear situations.

19. Remove the firewood from beneath the cauldron
20. Fish in troubled waters
21. Shed the cicada’s golden shell
22. Shut the door to catch the thief
23. Befriend the distant, attack the near
24. Borrow a route to attack Guo

5. Proximity Stratagems (并战计) — When Close to the Enemy

Strategies for close-quarters competition.

25. Replace the beams and pillars
26. Point at the mulberry, curse the locust
27. Pretend foolishness, not madness
28. Lure them onto the roof
29. Adorn the tree with false blossoms
30. Turn the guest into the host

6. Defeat Stratagems (败战计) — When You’re Losing

Strategies for desperate situations.

31. The beautiful woman stratagem
32. The empty fortress stratagem
33. Counter-espionage
34. Inflict injury on yourself
35. Chain stratagems
36. Retreat is the best option

How They Differ from Sun Tzu

They complement each other. Art of War gives you the framework. 36 Stratagems gives you the moves.

In my experience, this is the easiest way to stop beginners from reading them badly. If you read the 36 Stratagems as a moral worldview, they can feel cold. If you read them as tactical recognition inside a larger strategic and ethical frame, they become much more useful.

Famous Historical Examples

Stratagem 2: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao

When the state of Zhao was attacked, the state of Qi didn’t send troops directly to help. Instead, they attacked Wei’s capital while Wei’s army was away. Wei had to rush home, and Zhao was saved.

Modern equivalent: In business, don’t attack a competitor where they’re strong. Attack their weak point, and they’ll pull back.

Stratagem 10: Hide a Knife in a Smile

Appear friendly while preparing your move. Not necessarily malicious — it means controlling how you’re perceived.

Modern equivalent: In negotiation, warmth and rapport make the other side less defensive and more open.

Stratagem 36: If All Else Fails, Retreat

The most famous stratagem. Knowing when to walk away is itself a strategy.

Modern equivalent: Cut losses on a failing project. Leave a toxic job. Not every battle is worth fighting.

Why They Still Matter

The 36 Stratagems aren’t just historical curiosities. They’re patterns that repeat in:

• Business competition — market positioning, negotiation
• Politics — alliances, messaging, timing
• Sports — game strategy, psychological warfare
• Daily life — navigating difficult people, solving problems indirectly

I’ve observed in students that this is where the stratagems suddenly stop feeling “ancient.” The moment people realize they already live inside indirect competition, face-saving, narrative management, alliance-building, and timing games, the collection becomes immediately legible.

The Ethical Use

Important: the stratagems teach recognition, not just application.

Study them so you can:

• Recognize when they’re being used on you
• Understand the strategic dynamics in any situation
• Respond with wisdom rather than naivety

Not so you can manipulate everyone around you.

That point matters a lot to me. In my experience, the worst reading of the 36 Stratagems is the adolescent one: tricks, domination, cleverness for its own sake. The stronger reading is pattern recognition with judgment. That is one reason I keep pairing this page with Taoism for Leadership and Taoism for Conflict. Strategy without ethical proportion becomes self-corrupting fast.

Start Reading

• Stratagem 1: Deceive the Heavens — hiding in plain sight
• Stratagem 2: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao — indirect problem-solving
• Learn how to apply the 36 Stratagems in modern life

In my experience, that is the right order: understand the system, then the moves, then the application.