36 Strategies ~ [Intro. + Preface + Ch. 1 Stra. 1]

"The original text of the Thirty-Six Stratagems has a laconic style that is common to Classical Chinese...These 36 Chinese proverbs are related to 36 battle scenarios in Chinese history and folklore, predominantly of the Warring States Period and the Three Kingdoms Period."

"The Thirty-Six Stratagems are divided into:
a preface,
6 chapters [with six stratagems each], and
an afterword

First 3 chapters: describe tactics for use in advantageous situations
Last 3 chapters: describe tactics for use in disadvantageous situations.

Preface
"六六三十六，數中有術，術中有數。陰陽變理，機在其中。機不可設，設則不中。"

Chapter 1: Winning Stratagems

1st Stratagem:
Deceive the heavens to cross the ocean
How it's written in traditional Chinese: 瞞天過海
In simplified Chinese: 瞒天过海

"This stratagem references an episode in 643 AD, when Tang emperor Tang Gaozong Li Simin, balked from crossing the sea to a campaign against Koguryo. His General Xue Rengui thought of a stratagem to get the Emperor across and allay his fear of seasickness: on a clear day, the Emperor was invited to meet a wise man. They entered through a dark tunnel into a hall where they feasted. After feasting several days, the Emperor heard the sound of waves and realized that he had been lured onto a ship! General Xue drew aside the curtains to reveal the ocean and confessed that they had already crossed the sea: Upon discovering this, the emperor decided to carry on and later completed the successful campaign."

"This stratagem means that you can mask your real goals, by using the ruse of a fake goal that everyone takes for granted, until the real goal is achieved. Tactically, this is known as an 'open feint'; in front of everyone, you point west, when your goal is actually in the east. By the time everyone realized it, you have already achieved your goal."

Usage:
"This stratagem makes use of the human failing to become unaware of common everyday activities, or events that appear normal. The best secrets are carried out in broad daylight. The best hoax is to repeat it so often that people are convinced that the next move is also a hoax. When this happens, it is the best moment to carry out one's previously hidden true objective."

Works Cited: "Thirty-Six Stratagems." Wikipedia. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-Six_Stratagems