"Su Shu" has only six chapters, 132 sentences, and 1,360 words. Such a thin book occupies an important position in the history of Chinese strategy. The language in the book is highly refined, every word is precious, and every sentence is famous. The book has a precise and unique grasp of human nature, a subtle observation of changes in things, and just the right strategic points. If you understand the principles in the book, you will definitely be able to do something earth-shattering.

The five principles of Tao, virtue, benevolence, righteousness and etiquette are integrated into one body. Taoism, what people do, makes all things not know where it goes. Virtue is what people gain, so that all things can get what they want. A benevolent person is someone who is loved by others and has a heart of kindness, wisdom and compassion, so that they can be born. Righteousness is what is appropriate for people, rewarding good deeds and punishing evil deeds in order to accomplish meritorious deeds. Etiquette is what people should do, and they should work hard and sleep well at night, in order to maintain the order of human ethics. Husband's desire to be the foundation of human beings is indispensable. A wise man and a gentleman understand the path of prosperity and decline, understand the number of success and failure, judge the trend of controlling chaos, and understand the principle of getting rid of things. Therefore, he lurks in the Tao and waits for the right time. If you act when the time comes, you will be able to achieve the position of being a minister; if you act when the opportunity comes, you will be able to achieve unparalleled achievements. If you don't meet him, you just have no body. This is because his Tao is high and his reputation is more important than that of future generations.

Vernacular interpretation

Tao, virtue, benevolence, righteousness and etiquette are five in one, inseparable and indispensable. Although the five elements are integrated, their levels are different, so if they are divided and used, it will be a mistake, but if they are combined and used, it will be auspicious.

Tao is the natural law and natural law that everyone needs to follow. All things follow the constraints of Tao, and Tao is embedded in all things, so we cannot feel the existence of Tao when we are in it. In other words, the magic of Tao is that although everything is controlled by Tao (natural laws and laws), its development trajectory cannot be clearly traced. It's like we can't feel the existence of air, but air does exist around us and even in our bodies. Just like any circle has a center, but the center has neither color nor size and is invisible.

Virtue is a person’s experience of Tao, and it is also a symbol that all things are controlled by Tao. Virtue is the concrete embodiment of the existence of Tao in people, the influence of Tao, and a kind of personification of Tao. Tao is like rules, and virtue is like a square circle. If you have a deep Tao, your virtue will be deep; if you have a shallow Tao, your virtue will be shallow. Therefore, there are deep and shallow virtues, and there are virtues and foolish virtues. If you ask for something, you will get it, but the depth of it depends on the merits of creation. Despite this, after all, fish have their own paths, and shrimps have their own path. By acting according to virtue, people can satisfy their own desires; by complying with the requirements of virtue, everything in nature will be in its proper place. Therefore, it is said that the Tao is like a river, and the virtuous is like a bank. Those with high virtue can reach the upper Tao, and those with weak virtue can reach the lower Tao. Each has his own gain. The Taoist is like three thousand weak water, and the virtuous person is like a gourd. How much water can be lifted depends on the size of the gourd. Therefore, virtue can be divided into superior virtue and inferior virtue.

Benevolence is people’s innate heart of closeness and integration, like water flowing into the sea, like rain moistening the soil. Kindness, intelligence, and kindness are the basic conditions for benevolence.

Righteousness is a moral code universally recognized by the whole society. Justice contains reason, so people reward good and punish evil according to the principle of justice; the principle of justice is used as the basic condition for establishing merit.

Etiquette is a code of conduct recognized by the whole society. Only when everyone follows the rules of etiquette can they work conscientiously and diligently, and only then can a normal social order be formed.

The above five aspects are the foundation of doing things and are indispensable.

All wise and capable people as well as noble men of high moral character can clearly see the laws of a country's rise and fall, and understand the principles of survival; they not only understand the ways to control chaos, but also know how to retire and advance in officialdom. The secret lies in the fact that ups and downs have their own regularity, success or failure has its own destiny, and the ability to control chaos lies in being able to distinguish the positive and negative trends, leaving behind its inherent logic.

Therefore, when the conditions are not ripe, be willing to hide, stay on the right path, strengthen preparations, and wait for the opportunity. Once the opportunity comes and you take action, you will be able to make great achievements and become a great minister; if you see through the mysteries and follow the trend, you will be able to achieve unparalleled achievements. If you are born at the wrong time, it will just be unknown to the world, and there will be no big harm. If you understand this truth, you will be wiser than others and more famous than others.

Virtue is enough to embrace the future, faith is enough to make a difference, justice is enough to win over people, it is enough to learn from the past, and clarity is enough to shine a light, this person is handsome; behavior is enough to show appearance, wisdom is enough to resolve suspicion, trustworthiness is enough to keep people safe As a matter of fact, honesty can lead to the distribution of wealth, and this person is a hero; he keeps his duties without abandoning his duties, he does justice without turning back, he sees dissatisfaction without being reluctant to avoid it, and he sees benefits without being reluctant to get them, this person is outstanding.

Vernacular interpretation

Having high moral character can make people convinced; being honest and trustworthy can unify different political opinions; putting justice first can convince the public; having outstanding talents can distinguish the gains and losses in history. ; Wise and wise, can clearly analyze the current affairs, such a person can be called "the handsomest among men".

Behave as a role model, be clever and intelligent to solve problems, be morally honest and abide by contracts, be honest and fair in managing finances, such a person can be called a "holy man among men"

To fulfill one's duties without slacking off; to abide by one's trustworthiness and never to change one's word; to be able to do one's duty without hesitation even when faced with suspicion; to be able to disregard one's duty even if one puts profit first. Such people can be called "outstanding people".

I am absolutely addicted to abstinence, so I can get rid of fatigue. Suppression does not harm evil, so let it pass. Derogatory wine and poor appearance, so there is no pollution. Avoid suspicion, so don't make mistakes. He is knowledgeable and asks questions, so he knows a lot. High deeds and small words lead to self-cultivation. Be respectful, frugal and modest, so be self-disciplined. Think long and hard, so you are not poor. Relatives, benevolence and friends are straight, so I support you. I am close and sincere, so I pick up people. Let your talents make the most of your talents, so you can save things. He hates evil and rebukes slander, so he stops the chaos. Infer the past and verify the present, so there is no confusion. Defend first and save later, so you should die. Suppose that change leads to power, so the knot is untied. The package goes smoothly, so there is no blame. The prongs and prongs are stems, so they make meritorious deeds. Be diligent and kind, so you can survive forever.

Vernacular interpretation

If you put an end to bad habits and prohibit undue desires, you can avoid all kinds of involvement; if you suppress wrong behaviors and reduce evil thoughts, you can correct your mistakes; if you put an end to fine wine and fine wine If you avoid the intrusion of sex, you can keep yourself clean;

If you avoid suspicion and stay away from right and wrong, you can avoid making mistakes. If you study extensively and are good at questioning, you can enrich your knowledge; if you behave noblely and speak modestly and carefully, you can cultivate your body and mind; You can avoid being in trouble; if you make friends with people who are benevolent and upright, you can escape from adversity.

Although you are wise and lofty, you can still treat others with generosity, be pragmatic and enterprising, and you can keep people around you. Only when people are suitable for their duties and can be used appropriately can they achieve better career success.

Suppressing evil and rejecting slander can calm turmoil;

Learn from the past and learn from the present, so you will not be confused; establish principles and make careful calculations to deal with crises; take advantage of the situation and block gaps. Combined, social problems can be solved.

Only by thinking about the overall situation and following the trend, not taking small mistakes as losses and not taking small gains as gains, can you avoid mistakes; only by being firm and courageous can you make achievements; be diligent and unremitting, Only by being cautious can you start well and end well.

Husband’s will is the art of doing things alone. Don't be good at making plans, don't be content with enduring humiliation, don't put virtue first, don't be happy by loving good deeds, don't be spiritual with sincerity, be wise with things, be happy with contentment, don't be miserable with many wishes, Don't be sad because of fine powder, don't be sick because of impermanence, don't be short of success, don't be lonely because of greed, don't be lonely because of self-reliance, don't be dangerous because of doubts, don't lose because of selfishness.

Vernacular interpretation

The so-called "ambition" refers to spiritual independence. The greatest ability is to think of the overall situation, the greatest perseverance is to endure humiliation, the most outstanding role model is to cultivate virtue, the greatest happiness is to be kind, the most magical thing is to be sincere, wisdom comes from discernment, and luck comes from Contentment, suffering comes from excessive desires, sadness comes from depression, illness comes from uncertainty, short-sightedness comes from small profits, inner demons come from greed, loneliness comes from relying on talent and pride, internal strife comes from suspicion, and corruption comes from selfishness.

Those who use clear instructions will be concealed, those who do not know the past will be concealed, those who are confused and will not return will be confused, those who use words to complain will be in trouble, those who make people with a good heart will be destroyed, those who will be mowed down later will be destroyed, and those who are angry will have no power. Those who commit crimes are those who love others and humiliate others, those who kill and humiliate those in charge are in danger, those who are arrogant towards those they respect are in danger, those who look good and have a distant heart are lonely, those who are close and loyal are slandered and far away, those who are near and beautiful are faint, and those who are women paying homage to the public are in chaos. , Those who regard officials as private individuals are frivolous, those who conquer the inferiors are invaded, and those who are not worthy of their reputations are wasted. Those who ignore oneself and blame others will not be cured; those who are generous to themselves but belittle others will be abandoned.

Those who neglect their merits will suffer losses; those who are outsiders will be ruined; those who are useful but not responsible will be neglected; those who reward and be stingy will be discouraged; those who are more generous and less will be resentful; those who welcome and reject are obedient. Those who give little and have high expectations will not be repaid, and those who are noble but forget the humble will not be rewarded for long. It is dangerous to be obsessed with the past and abandon the new achievements; to be in danger if you employ people without integrity; to be strong and employ people without being an animal; to be chaotic when choosing officials for people; to lose the power of others is to be weak; to make decisions based on unkindness is in danger; to be defeated by those who have leaked their evil plans; to be generous and generous but to give poorly. Those who wither. A warrior is poor, a traveler is rich, a man is weak; a trader, a briber, and a public servant is ignorant; a man who hears good deeds neglects them, and a man who remembers his faults is violent; a man who is trusted cannot be trusted, and a man who cannot be trusted is dishonest. Those who are shepherds who behave with virtue gather, those who lead people with punishment disperse. If small achievements are not rewarded, great achievements will not be achieved; if small grievances are not forgiven, great grievances will inevitably arise. Those who are not willing to accept rewards and punishments will rebel. Rewards are for no merit, punishments are for those who are innocent. He who listens to slander will be beautiful; he who hears admonishment and his enemies will perish. Those who can have what they have are safe, but those who are greedy for what others have have will be ruined.

Vernacular interpretation

Those who do not plan well and have many flaws will be fooled by their subordinates; those who make mistakes without realizing it are stupid; those who are too lazy and do not repent will be trapped; those who use words to cause resentment will bring disaster. . Government orders that are contrary to common sense will be in vain, and inconsistent government orders are doomed to failure. He who is easily angered but has no one to fear is bound to be violated. Those who insult others in public will bring disaster, and those who kill subordinates will bring danger. Neglect of those who deserve respect will lead to misfortune. If you are separated from others, you will fall into loneliness. Being close to slanderers and staying away from loyalty is doomed; being close to women and keeping away from virtuous people is bound to lead to coma. If a woman takes part in government affairs, there will be chaos, and if a woman is appointed to an official position privately, there will be chaos. Bullying the weak by force is aggression, and it is a waste of people's lives if it is not worthy of the name. Those who are lenient to others but strict with others will not be able to handle government affairs; those who are kind to themselves and harm others will be despised by everyone. If you deprive others of their contributions based on fault, you will lose people's hearts; if your subordinates have different intentions, they will become isolated. Failure to assign appropriate positions to subordinates will lead to alienation. Being stingy and stingy when it comes to rewards for merit is bound to make people depressed. Promising too much and fulfilling too little will inevitably lead to resentment. To welcome someone at the beginning and abandon it at the end will definitely end the kindness and righteousness.

Paying little and expecting a big reward will definitely lead to no good results. Once you become rich, forgetting your original poverty will not last long. To dwell on old evils and ignore the new achievements of others is a recipe for danger. Employing treacherous people will inevitably lead to risks. You will definitely not be able to retain people if you force them to do so. Seeking office for others will plunge political affairs into chaos. Abandoning one's own advantages will inevitably weaken one's strength. There is always a risk in discussing decisions with people who have bad intentions.

The secret plan is bound to fail if it is leaked, and those who take a lot but give little will surely decline. If the soldiers are poor and the counselors are rich, the country's strength will inevitably weaken. Bribing officials is prevalent, and politics must be dark. Ignoring other people's strengths and weaknesses while dwelling on other people's shortcomings and mistakes will lead to a rude behavior. Constant suspicion of appointed subordinates, or failure to re-employ people with good credibility will lead to political chaos. When a country is governed by virtue, the people will be united; when a country is governed by punishment, the people will be divided. If small merits are not rewarded, no one will make great achievements; if small grudges are not forgiven, great resentments will arise. Rewarding those who have failed and punishing those who have done wrong will definitely lead to rebellion; rewarding those who have done nothing but punishing those who have done nothing will definitely lead to tyranny. He who likes to listen to slanderous words and hates loyal and admonishing words will surely perish. Only when wealth is hidden among the people can society be stable. Those who plunder the people's wealth will inevitably lead to cruelty.

The blame lies in not letting go of small mistakes, and the trouble lies in unpremeditated plans. Blessings come from accumulating good, disaster comes from accumulating evil. Hunger lies in humble peasants, and cold lies in fallen weavers. The peace lies in gaining people, the danger lies in the loss. Wealth comes when we are welcomed, poverty comes when we abandon it. There is no constant control on the top, and there are many doubts on the bottom. If you take the superior lightly, you will be guilty, and if you insult the inferior, you will have no relatives. Those who are close to you are not valued, and those who are far away are treated lightly. Do not doubt yourself but do not trust others; be confident and do not doubt others. A useless scholar has no true friends, and he has no straight friends. There are no virtuous people in a dangerous country, and there are no good people in a chaotic government. Those who love people deeply are eager to seek wise people, and those who are happy to find wise people nourish others well. The generals of the country, the tyrants, and the nobles will all return; the generals of the country will be destroyed, and the wise will flee first. If the land is thin, no big things will grow; if the water is shallow, big fish won't swim; if the trees are bare, no big birds will live; if the forests are sparse, no big animals will live. If the mountains are steep, they will collapse; if the mountains are full, they will overflow. Those who abandon jade and take stones are blind; those who use sheep's skin and tiger's skin are soft. If you don't raise your clothes and lead, you will fall down; if you walk without looking at the ground, you will be knocked upside down. The house of the weak will be ruined, and the country of the weak will be ruined. Foot cold is sad, and people's resentment hurts the country. When a mountain is about to collapse, people will suffer first; when a country is about to decline, people will suffer first. The roots are withered and the branches are rotten, and the people are trapped and the country is disabled. Those who are on the same track as the overturned carriage will collapse; those who are on the same track as the country's subjugation will be destroyed. If you see someone who is already alive, be careful about it, and if you hate its traces, you must avoid it. Those who are afraid of danger will be safe, and those who are afraid of death will survive. What a lady does, if she has the right way, she will be lucky, and if she does not, it will be bad. The lucky one will be blessed by a hundred blessings; the unfavorable one will be attacked by a hundred misfortunes. If it is not sacred, it is favored by nature. Those who make good plans will have no evil, and those who do not have far-sightedness will have short-term worries.

Comrades benefit from each other, colleagues worry about each other, share the same evil, pursue the same love, envy each other with the same beauty, conspire with the same wisdom, harm each other with the same nobleness, jealous of the same benefits, respond with the same voice, feel the same spirit, depend on the same kind, and share the same sentiments. Companion of righteousness, helping each other in the same difficulties, complementing each other in the same way, following the same skill in the same skill, winning by the same skill: these are the results of counting and cannot be violated. He who frees himself and teaches others is counterintuitive; he who rectifies himself and transforms others is obedient. It is difficult to follow those who are against it, and it is easy to follow those who follow it. If it is difficult to follow, it will be chaotic, and if it is easy to follow, it will be logical. It’s okay to manage one’s body, family, and country in this way!

Vernacular interpretation

Resentment comes from unwillingness to forgive small mistakes; disaster comes from not making careful plans beforehand; happiness comes from accumulating good; disaster comes from accumulating evil.

Famine comes from neglecting agriculture; freezing comes from neglecting weaving. Social stability lies in the acquisition of useful talents, and social imbalance lies in the loss of wise people to assist the government. Wealth lies in being able to attract distant visitors; poverty lies in wasting farming time.

If a leader is capricious, subordinates will be suspicious. Those who treat a leader with contempt and neglect will surely be punished; those who bully and arrogantly treat subordinates will surely lose their attachment. Those who do not respect the ministers who are close to the emperor and have distant relations will despise these ministers who are close to the emperor. If you are always suspicious, you will not trust others; if you are honest with others, you will not be suspicious of others. An evil man has no upright friends; a crooked boss has no just subordinates.

A country that is going to perish must lack the help of wise people, and a chaotic politics must not have capable people in power. Those who achieve great things are thirsty for talents, and those who respect talents treat others generously. When a country becomes hegemonic, talented people must gather and join; when a country is destroyed, wise men will flee first.

Barren soil cannot produce large animals, shallow water cannot accommodate large fish, bare trees cannot accommodate large birds, and sparse forests cannot accommodate large animals. If the mountain is too steep, it will easily collapse; if the swamp is too full, it will overflow.

Those who discard jade and embrace rocks are like blind people; those who are like sheep and tiger skin are strong on the outside but dry on the inside. If you hold clothes without lifting the collar, they will inevitably fall down. If you walk without looking at the ground, you will definitely fall.

If the beams and pillars are weak, the house will collapse; if the assistants are incompetent, the country will overthrow. If the feet are cold, the heart and lungs will be damaged; if people are resentful, the foundation of the country will be shaken. When mountains are about to collapse, their foundations must first be destroyed; when countries are about to decline, their hearts must first be scattered. When the roots of the tree dry up, the branches will rot; when the people are in distress, the country will be ruined. If you follow the same track as an overturned cart, you will also overturn; if you do the same thing as a perishing country, you will also perish.

When you see what has happened, you should be alert that similar things will happen in the future, and you should avoid it as soon as you find signs of it. Those who are worried about danger can always be safe; those who are afraid of death can survive. What a person does, if it conforms to the way of nature, it will be good; if it does not conform to the way of nature, it will be bad. For an auspicious person, all kinds of good things will come to him; for an unlucky person, all kinds of bad luck will come to him. This has nothing to do with gods and ghosts, but is in line with nature.

People who are good at planning will not encounter difficulties; people who do not plan for the long term will definitely have immediate worries.

People with equal intelligence must get together to plan, people with equal power must compete with each other, people with the same interests must be suspicious of each other, people with similar ideas must respond to each other, people with similar temperaments must appreciate each other, people of the same type must rely on each other, and people with the same code of conduct must Being close to each other, the same hardships will definitely bring people closer, similar awareness will definitely benefit each other, similar abilities will definitely restrain each other, and similar skills will definitely compete with each other: this is determined by logic and cannot go against the way of nature. Being lenient to others who are strict with others is contrary to the way of nature, while being lenient to others but being strict with others is in compliance with the way of nature. If you go against the way of nature, you will encounter resistance; if you follow the way of nature, you will have no obstacles. Encountering resistance can easily lead to chaos, but if things go unimpeded, they follow the laws of nature. According to the above principles, there are standards for judging whether it is self-cultivation, family management, or country governance.