Transcript 36 Chinese Strategies Applied to Negotiations The Art of War Sun Tzu All warfare is based on deception.

36 Chinese Strategies
Applied to Negotiations
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
All warfare is based on deception.
The marketplace is a battlefield
Business is like war
therefore:
Expect deception
in business negotiations
Background of “36 strategies”
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Methods of deception
Used in all daily encounters
Common Chinese expression – even Chinese
children are aware of its meaning
Describes someone’s actions as deceitful
Chinese claim to study these strategies not to
deceive, but to prevent these strategies from
being used against them
History of “36 strategies”
A collection of 36 stories of strategy
from ancient Chinese history
Stories are derived from military
tactics applied during the Warring
States Period (403-221 BC) or during
the Three Kingdom Period (220-300
AD)
Strategy 1: Cross the Sea by
Deceiving the Sky
瞒天过海
Act in the open, but hide your true intentions.
Hide secrets in the open to avoid detection
Qin
Chu
Baili Xi
Strategy 1: Cross the Sea by
Deceiving the Sky
The king of Qin, wanted Baili Xi, a brilliant strategist as an advisor,
but Baili Xi lived in the State of Chu. So, how to get him out of
Chu without the king of Chu realizing that Qun was gaining an
advantage.
The trick - to accuse Baili Xi of being a fugitive from Qin.
Naturally, King of Chu did not want fugitives from Qin in his
kingdom, so he agreed that Qin soldiers could come and get their
fugitive. Qin soldiers then entered Chu, shackled Baili Xi and
dragged him out of Chu to Qin.
The king of Chu was relieved to remove a fugitive from his
kingdom. When Baili Xi reached the kingdom of Qin, the king
received him, put him in fine silken robes, and made him a top
advisor
Strategy 2: Besiege Wei to
Rescue Zhao
围魏救赵
Attack their Achilles heel
(weakest point)
Strategy 2: Besiege Wei to
Rescue Zhao
When the kingdom of Zhao was attacked by the
kingdom of Wei, Wei was left undefended.
The king of Qi then attacked undefended Wei,
which meant that Wei’s troops had to leave
Zhao and return home to protect their own
territory.
Strategy 3: Kill with a Borrowed
Knife
借刀杀人
Attack using the strength
of another person.
Strategy 4: Relax and Wait for the
Adversary to Tire Himself Out
以逸待劳
Exercise patience and wear
them down
Strategy 5: Loot a Burning House
趁火打劫
Hit them when they are down
Strategy 6: Make a Feint to the East
While Attacking the West
声东击西
Fake to the right;
attack to the left
(Confuse and mislead)
Strategy 7: Create Something Out of
Nothing
无中生有
Make the empty full
Create diamonds from sand
Strategy 8: Pretend to Advance Down One
Path While Taking Another Hidden Path
暗渡陈仓
Pretend to care about an issue
and later give it up to get what
you really want
Strategy 9: Watch the Fire Burning
from Across the River
隔岸观火
Allow them to fight your other enemy
while you rest and observe. Later,
defeat the exhausted survivor
Strategy 10: Conceal a Dagger in a
Smile
笑里藏刀
Befriend them to get their guard down,
then attack their weakest point
(hide
hostility under friendliness )
Strategy 11: Sacrifice the Plum for
the Peach
李代桃僵
 Trade
up!
 Take a small loss
for a large gain.
Strategy 12: Take Away a Goat in
Passing
顺手牵羊
Take advantage
of every small opportunity
“The nibble”
Strategy 13: Beat the Grass to
Startle the Snake
打草惊蛇
Stir things up before beginning to
negotiate for your true interests
Strategy 14: Raise a Corpse from
the Dead
借尸还魂
Revive a dead proposal
by presenting it again
or in a new way
Strategy 15: Lure the Tiger out of
the Mountain
调虎离山
Seek a neutral location Negotiate after leading them away
from a position of strength
Strategy 16: Let the Adversary off
in order to Snare Him
欲擒故纵
Pretend to give up –
then make your move when they
are not defending against you
Strategy 17—Toss out a Brick to
Attract a piece of Jade
抛砖引玉
Trade something of minor value
for something of major value.
Strategy 18: To Catch Bandits, Nab
Their Ringleader First
擒贼擒王
Convince the leader
and the rest will follow.
Strategy 19: Remove the Fire from
under the Cauldron
釜底抽薪
Eliminate the source
of their strength
Strategy 20: Catching Fishes from
Troubled Waters
混水摸鱼
Do something surprising or
unexpected to unnerve them,
and then take advantage of
that situation (chaos – panic)
Strategy 21: The Cicada Sheds Its
Shells
金蝉脱壳
When you are in trouble,
secretly escape
Strategy 22: Fasten the Door to
Catch a Thief
关门捉贼
Completely destroy them
by leaving no way for escape
Strategy 23: Befriend a Distant State
While Attacking a Neighboring State
远交近攻
Distant adversaries can be a temporary allies.
Do not attempt to take on too many challenges at once.
The immediate danger needs to be taken care of first.
Build strategic alliances with others that will give you
the upper hand
Strategy 24: Borrow a Safe Passage
to Conquer the Kingdom of Guo
假道伐虢
When the weak are not threatening,
help them and win over support
Temporarily join forces with a friend
against a common enemy.
Strategy 25: Steal the Beams and Pillars
and Replace Them with Rotten Timber
偷梁换柱
Remove their key support
Strategy 26: Point at the Mulberry
but Curse the Locust
指桑骂槐
Convey your intentions and
opinions indirectly
Strategy 27: Play Dumb
假痴不癫
Columbo strategy.
Catch them off-guard.
Make them underestimate you.
Strategy 28: Remove the Ladder
after Your Ascent
上屋抽梯
Lead them into a trap,
then cut off their escape.
Strategy 29: Decorate the Tree
with Fake Blossoms
树上开花
Reframe deceitfully.
Exaggerate to mislead
Expand the pie with objects of
little value.
Strategy 30: Turn Yourself into a
Host from Being a Guest
反客为主
Reverse the situation
Switch from defense to offense
Strategy 31: Use a Beauty to
Ensnare a Man
美人计
Provide alluring distractions
Strategy 32: Open the Gate of an
Undefended City
空城计
Present something that is really simple;
let the adversary overestimate your capabilities
Display your weakness to conceal your vulnerability
Strategy 34: Inflict Pain on Oneself in
order to Infiltrate Adversary’s Camp and
Win the Confidence of the Enemy
苦肉计
Appear to take some hits to build
their confidence
Inflict an injury on yourself
Feign weakness while arming yourself
Strategy 35: Lead Your Adversary to
Chain Together Their Warships
连环计
To turn your adversary’s strength
into weakness
Use interlocking stratagems
to defeat them
Strategy 36: Retreat is the Best
Option
走为上
Use your BATNA
“He who runs away today,
lives to do business another day.”