诗歌翻译:孙武·《孙子兵法--作战篇》英文译文

小编导读：《孙子兵法--作战篇》是春秋末年的齐国人孙武的作品。《作战篇》是《孙子兵法》第二篇，也是最重要的一篇。之所以说其最重要，是从军事历史角度说的。《作战篇》的本义是说，要速胜，不要持久战，因为对后勤的消耗太大，对人员的消耗太大，对国力的消耗太大。在这种情况下，国家很容易遭受别人暗算从而面临毁灭的危险。孙武在这篇文章里提炼出核心观点：“兵贵胜，不贵久”。

《孙子兵法---作战篇》

孙子曰：凡用兵之法，驰车千驷，革车千乘，带甲十万，千里馈粮。则内外之费，宾客之用，胶漆之材，车甲之奉，日费千金，然后十万之师举矣。

其用战也胜，久则钝兵挫锐，攻城则力屈，久暴师则国用不足。夫钝兵挫锐，屈力殚货，则诸侯乘其弊而起，虽有智者，不能善其后矣。故兵闻拙速，未睹巧之久也。夫兵久而国利者，未之有也。故不尽知用兵之害者，则不能尽知用兵之利也。

善用兵者，役不再籍，粮不三载，取用于国，因粮于敌，故军食可足也。国之贫于师者远输，远输则百姓贫；近师者贵卖，贵卖则百姓财竭，财竭则急于丘役。力屈、财殚，中原内虚其家，百姓之费，十去其七；公家之费，破军罢马，甲胄矢弩，戟楯蔽橹，丘牛大车，十去其六。

故智将务食于敌，食敌一钟，当吾二十钟；[艹+忌]杆一石，当吾二十石。

故杀敌者，怒也；取敌之利者，货也。故车战得车十乘以上，赏其先得者，而更其旌旗，车杂而乘之，卒善而养之，是谓胜敌而益强。

故兵贵胜，不贵久。

故知兵之将，生民之司命，国家安危之主也。

Waging War

Sun Wu

In operations of war — when one thousand fast four-horse chariots, one thousand heavy chariots, and one thousand mail-clad soldiers are required; when provisions are transported for a thousand li; when there are expenditures at home and at the front, and stipends for entertainment of envoys and advisers — the cost of materials such as glue and lacquer, and of chariots and armor, will amount to one thousand pieces of gold a day. One hundred thousand troops may be dispatched only when this money is in hand.

A speedy victory is the main object in war. If this is long in coming, weapons are blunted and morale depressed. If troops are attacking cities, their strength will be exhausted. When the army engages in protracted campaigns, the resources of the state will fall short. When your weapons are dulled and ardor dampened, your strength exhausted and treasure spent, the chieftains of the neighboring states will take advantage of your crisis to act. In that case, no man, however wise, will be able to avert the disastrous consequences that ensue. Thus, while we have heard of stupid haste in war, we have not yet seen a clever operation that was prolonged. For there has never been a protracted war which benefited a country. Therefore, those unable to understand the evils inherent in employing troops are equally unable to understand the advantageous ways of doing so.

Those adept in waging war do not require a second levy of conscripts or more that two provisionings. They carry military equipment from the homeland, but rely on the enemy for provisions. Thus, the army is plentifully provided with food.

When a country is impoverished by military operations, it is due to distant transportation; carrying supplies for great distances renders the people destitute. Where troops are gathered, prices go up. When prices rise, the wealth of the people is drained away. When wealth is drained away, the people will be afflicted with urgent and heavy exactions. With this loss of wealth and exhaustion of strength the households in the country will be extremely poor and seven-tenths of their wealth dissipated. As to government expenditures, those due to broken-down chariots, worn-out horses, armor and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantlets, draft oxen, and wagons will amount to 60 percent of the total.

Hence, a wise general sees to it that his troops feed on the enemy, for one zhong of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own and one shi of the enemy's fodder to twenty shi of one's own.

In order to make the soldiers courageous in overcoming the enemy, they must be roused to anger. In order to capture more booty from the enemy, soldiers must have their rewards.

Therefore, in chariot fighting when more than ten chariots are captured, reward those who take the first. Replace the enemy's flags and banners with you own, mix the captured chariots with yours, and mount them. Treat the prisoners of war well, and care for them. This is called 'winning a battle and becoming stronger.'

Hence, what is valued in war is victory, not prolonged operations. And the general who understands how to employ troops is the minister of the people's fate and arbiter of the nation's destiny.

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